Improvements in Warp Stop Motions and in Shedding Mechanism of Looms.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Warp Stop Motions and in Shedding Mechanism
of Looms.
A communication from GEORGE OTIS DRAPER, of Hopedale, in the County of
Worcester and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES, of 55 & 56 Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 has for its object the production of a simple, efficient and positively
operating warp-stop motion for looms, by or through the action of stop-motion actuating
detectors which are moved into operative position by breakage or undue slackening of
the warp threads. The invention relates more particularly to that class of loonis
wherein the stop-motion actuating detectors also serve as heddles.
In warp-stop motions of this class it has been heretofore customary to make use of
a vibrator, connected with and to operate the stopping mechanism of the loom upon
the dropping of a heddle, the vibrator being oscillated adjacent the heddles to
engage one when in abnormal position caused by failure or slackening of the
warp thread,
In this present invention the vibrator and its intermediate connections has been
dispensed with, and the subsequent movement of the dropped detector or heddle
positively controls the stopping mechanism of the loom, whereby the construction is
simplified, the operation made more rapid, and the loom more efficient.
Various features of the invention will be hereinafter fully and particularly described
and claimed.
Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a sufficient portion of a loom to be understood,
with one form of my invention embodied therein;
Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation of the right hand of the loom shown
in Fig. 1.
Fig. 8 is a partial plan view of the shipper plats, and the connections between the
shipper lever and the heddles;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view with the heddle frames in the same relative position
shown in Fig. 1, but with one of the heddles in its abnormal position, caused by
breakage of its warp thread;
Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations of modified forms of heddles, to be described.
Figs. 7 and 8 are elevation and sectional views of a readily adjustable overhead
connection for heddle or harness frames.
The loom frame A, breast beam A², lay A, orank shaft A³ and connecting link A',
the cam shaft A', and the levers B and C for reciprocating the heddle frames in
opposite directions, are and may be of usual construction.
As shown in Fig. 3, the belt shipper handle A, and the notched plate A' to hold it
in place when the loom is moving properly, are of usual construction, and below the
plate A', Figs. 1 and 8, a rock shaft a has been mounted having fast thereon a cam lug a¹
and a depending arm a³, the cam lug when in normal position permitting the shipper
handle A to rest in its notch, as shown in said figs.
Two cords, wires, or other suitable flexible members a³, a², are attached at one and
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page_text: to the arm a³, and are led thence around guide sheaves 2, 3, on the loom side and
across the loom, the other ends of the said flexible members a, a, being permanently
attached to the opposite loom side, or some stationary part theroof, as at a*,
Fig. 2.
Said flexible connections are located below and substantially in the planes of the
paths of movement of the heddle frames, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4.
The loom is provided with uprights A* in which is mounted a shaft as provided
with suitable pulleys over which pass the straps a connected to the upper bars of the
heddle frames, two such frames being heroin shown, and as my correspondent does
not employ vibrators he is enabled to place the frames quite close to each other, and
can in consequence use a large number of such frames in the naturally limited space
therefor usually found in looms.
ت.
The heddle frames are composed of top bars b, o, rigidly attached respectively. by
side bars b, c, to bottom bars &, c, which latter are connected to the actuating
levers B and C, Fig. 1.
The warp stop-motion actuating detectors herein also serve as heddles, and the
heddles are preferably made of round wire enlarged at the eye portion h' and having
hooks, at the ends, the hook at the upper end being shaped to embrace the
top bar of the heddle frame, the hook being left open so that single heddles may be
removed from or placed in the frame without disturbing the latter.
My correspondent prefers to pass the heddles loosely through a transverse guide,
as bor e³, secured to the frames below the warp eyes of the heddles, to prevent undue
motion in the direction of the warps, the heddles being freely movable vertically in
and relatively to the heddle frame.
Depressing bars 6, ex, at the tops of the heddle frames extend over the tops of the
heddle hooks h, and act as shown in Fig. 1 to push the heddles down when the frame
is descending, the depressor 6x being shown therein as so acting.
The lower ends of the heddles are bent up at an angle of about 45°, to form the
hooks h, open at their upper sides, and which co-operate with the stopping mechanism
when a heddle drops, to stop the loom as will be described.
The heddles may descend by their own weight, but the depressor insures their
.positive descent to the proper point each time.
While the heddles are shown in the main portion of the drawings as made of round
wire they can be made of flat stock if desired, as in Figs. 5 and 6, the heddle k having
a longitudinal slot in its upper end, instead of a hook, and preferably it will be out
out at the lower end to form an upturned hook k³.
In Fig. 6 two slots m' and m³ are shown in the heddle m, which also has a
hook m³ at its lower end, and with this heddle two supporting bars may be employed,
one for each slot, while in Fig. 5 a single bar passed through the slot is employed,
but in either case the depressor to act on the upper ends of the heddles can be
omitted.
When a heddle frame is lifted, as for instance the rearmost frame, Figs. 1, 2,
and 4, its bar e acts to lift the heddles by their hooks h³, and when the frame
is on its downward path the heddles will either descend by their own weight, or
by virtue of the depressor, as 6x, acting on the top of the hooks.
In the lower shed the heddles will rest on their warp threads until in the upward
movement of their frames the lost motion between the supporting bar and the
heddle supporting hooks is taken up.
When however, a warp thread, as w, Fig. 4, in the lower shed breaks or unduly
slackens its particular beddle will drop from at or near its dotted line position,
Fig. 4, to full line position, substantially the distance between the supporting and
depressor bars.
°
The hook of a dropped heddle passes by and below the adjacent cord or other
flexible member as a³, Fig. 4, the curvature of the hook pressing the heddle back
sufficiently to pass it.
Now when the frame next ascends the lower hook of the dropped heddle engages
the flexible connection aª and pulls it up out of normal position, the strain upon

page_text: said connection turning the cam lug a², to force the shipper handle A out of
its notch, such release of the handle shipping the belt in usual manner to stop
the loom.
After the attendant has pieced up the ends of the broken warp, as w¹, Fig. 4,
the hook is readily disengaged from the connection a³ and the loom is then ready
to be started up again.
The open guides 6 or e³ of the heddle frames permit the slight backward motion
of the dropped heddles necessary to permit their lower hooks to pass by the flexible
connection with the shipper handle on the descent of the dropped heddle, and also
serve to steady the heddles when in use.
The harness or heddle frames are freely suspended from connections at the top and
bottom thereof, and are not positively guided at the sides and prevented from having
some lateral movement, but they are loose and are free to have some lateral movement
which at times is demanded by the differing tension of the warps, resulting in better
construction and decreased wear.
In Figs. 7 and 8 means are shown whereby the attendant may readily adjust the
harness without tools, in a rapid and easy manner, wherein the flexible straps or
overhead connections a are attached cach to a stirrup a, while each frame at its
top has secured thereto an upturned threaded link al extended loosoly through a
hole in the bottom a" of the stirrup.
A nut a is screwed onto the end of the link projecting into the stirrup, said nut
having locking ears a", Fig. 8, to embrace the sides of the stirrup base a". and
prevent accidental rotation of the nut.
1'
The nuts turn easily on the links, so that by lifting the latter until the locking
projections are disengaged from the stirrup the attendant can turn the nut up
or down with his fingers, to secure the desired adjustment quickly and accurately
without the use of tools.
So far as my correspondent is aware it is broadly new to control the operation
of the stopping mechanism of the loom directly and positively by the subsequent
movement of a dropped heddle or detector, and accordingly the invention is not
restricted to the precise construction and arrangement of parts herein shown, as the
same may be modified in various particulars without departing from the spirit and
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of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is :—
1. In a warp stop-motion for looms, a vertically reciprocating heddle frame and a
series of heddles supported thereby and adapted to move vertically for a limited
distance independently of the frame, combined with stopping mechanism for the loom,
and controlling means therefor to engage a heddle in abnormal position due to
breakage or undue slackening of its warp thread, and to be positively operated by
subsequent movement of the heddle, substantially as described.
--
2. In a warp-stop motion for looms, a heddle frame, a series of heddles_supported
thereby, and means to reciprocate said frame, combined with stopping mechanism for
the loom, and controlling means therefor to engage a heddle in abnormal position and
be actuated by subsequent movement of the heddle, to thereby operate the stopping
mechanism at the next change of shed, substantially as described.
3. In a warp stop motion for looms, the lay, a series of stop motion actuating
detectors mounted independently thereof, means to reciprocate them vertically at each
change of shed, stopping mechanism for the loom, and a controlling device for said
mechanism, to engage a detector when its warp thread breaks or unduly slackens, and
to be positively operated by subsequent movement of the detector at the next-change
of shed, substantially as described.
4. In a warp stop motion for looms, a series of independently supported heddles, means
to positively reciprocate them, at ench change of shed, a shipper, and a controlling
device therefor to engage a heddle after breakage or undue slackening of its warp

page_text: thread, and to be positively actuated by subsequent movement of the heddle,
substantially as described.
5. In a warp stop motion for looms, a series of beddles each having a hook, and a
frame for and in which said heddles are vertically movable for a limited distance,
combined with a shipper, and controlling means therefor to be engaged by the hook
of a heddle in abnormal position and to be positively moved by said heddle at the next
change of shed, substantially as described.
6. In a warp stop motion for looms, a heddle frame provided with a cross bar and
a series of metallic heddles each having a warp eye and a hook, means to vertically
reciprocate said frame, and a guide for and to loosely receive the lower ends of the
hedales, combined with a shipper, and controlling means therefor, including a flexible
member extended in the path of and to be engaged by the hook of a heddle in
abnormal position due to breakage or undue slackening of its warp thread, subsequent
movement of the heddle by its frame actuating the controlling means to release the
shipper, substantially as described.
7. In a warp stop motion for looms, a heddle frame, a series of heddles supported
thereby and having a vertical movement relative thereto, each heddle having a hook,
means to reciprocate the heddle frame, and means to depress the heddles positively,
combined with a shipper, a releasing device therefor, including a flexible member to
be engaged by the hook of a dropped heddle and positively moved thereby to release
the shipper at the next change of shed, substantially as described.
8. In a warp stop motion for looms, a series of heddles each having a hook, a
frame for and in which the heddles are relatively movable for a limited distance, and
means to reciprocate the frame, combined with a shipper, and a controlling device
therefor including a flexible member, one end of which is fixed, to be engaged by
the hook of a heddle in abnormal position and flexed by movement of the latter with
its frame, to thereby release the shipper, substantially as described.
9. In a loom, a series of drop pieces through which warp threads are drawn, and
means to positively reciprocate them at each change of shed, combined with stopping
mechanism for the loom, and a normally stationary controller therefor to be engaged
by said drop pieces when their warp threads are broken or unduly slack, and
actuated by movement of said detectors at the next change of shed, substantially as
desoribed.
10. In a loom, the combination of a series of independent heddles serving as warp
stop detectors, with a stop motion for the loom and controlling means therefor
directly engaged by and operated through said heddles by the motion of the harness,
substantially as described.
11. In a loom, a series of warp stop motion actuating detectors, means to
reciprocate them vertically, and stopping mechanism for the loom adapted to be engaged
by a detector in abnormal position due to breakage or undue slackness of its warp
thread, and to be positively operated by subsequent movement of said detector,
substantially as described.
12. In a loom, shedding mechanism, including a series of stop motion actuating
detectors serving also as heddles and moved into abnormal actuating position by
failure or undue slackening of the warp threads, and stopping mechanism for the
loom independent of the shedding mechanism and adapted to be engaged by a
detector in abnormal position, to be positively operated by subsequent change of
position of said detector due to movement of the shedding mechanism, substantially
as described.
13. In a loom, a series of heddle frames provided with heddles serving as warp stop
motion actuating detectors, and stopping mechanism for the loom independent of said
frames operated directly and positively by subsequent movement of a dropped
detector, substantially as described.
14. In a loom, a pair of reciprocating heddle frames, actuating treadles connected
to the bottoms of the frames, a rotatable shaft above the frames, and adjustable and
flexible connections between the shaft and the tops of the frames near their sides, the

page_text: frames being movable laterally by variation in the warp tension, and being adjustable
vertically by the fingers of the operative, substantially as described.
15. In a loom, a frame for warp stop motion actuating detectors, having upturned
threaded links attached to its top, an overhead rotatable shaft, depending flexible
straps secured thereto, each having a stirrup through which one of said links is
loosely extended, and a combined adjusting and retaining nut on each link to rest on
the stirrup and provided with a looking ear to prevent accidental rotation of the nut,
substantially as described,
Dated the 1st day of February 1897.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.