IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH JACQUARD MACHINES OR MECHANISM
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Weir at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 19th June 1879.
JOHN WEIR, of Glasgow, in the County' of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH JACQUARD MACHINES OR MECHANISM."
This Invention has reference to improvements in the jacquard machines or
mechanism for looms; specially in the fitting and use of certain appliances or
improved arrangements of mechanism to the card cylinder or barrel, and the
removal of the cards to and from this cylinder or barrel, without the evils hereto-
fore attending the cards not going properly on to the barrel, and doubling in round
it, instead of getting freely away, which is the cause of great loss of time and-waste
of cards, especially in high speed looms.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consist, first, in fitting on the
rocking frame carrying the pattern card barrel, an oscillating spindle over and
in front of it, with flat blade spring arms and slots in them projecting downwards,
to take over the pins which receive and carry round the cards in position on
the barrel, and adjust and press them on to the pins and front surface of
the barrel, which is being turned and reciprocated to take on the fresh card,
thus preventing the cards being shaken off the pins by the double motion. This
oscillating spindle with its springs is fitted with levers and spiral or other springs,
to press the flat holding blade springs against the card, as soon as the barrel has
been turned, and a cam lever on the oscillating spindle allows the blade springs to
come down and adjust and hold the cards properly on the barrel in front as
described. This cam lever, or a cam on the spindle of the barrel in combination
with it, would be so curved and adjusted as to allow the blade springs to adjust
and press the cards on to the barrel with the least possible friction or wear on
the cards or their binding chain cords.
A second improvement consists in mounting a spindle with a small anti-friction
revolving roller on it in slotted recesses in the lower ends of the rocking frame,
some little distance below the barrel, and so as to revolve with the friction of the
inside surface of the cards as they are turned off the barrel, and assist or insure the
removal of the cards from their pins, and prevent their being doubled in under the
barrel and entering cards in front, as frequently happens; or this roller might be
turned at the same surface speed as the cards by an elastic or other band or cord
passed over a pulley on it, one on the spindle of the card barrel, adjusting screws
being fitted under the spindle of the roller (which may be covered with soft

page_text: material or made polygonal as desired) to raise or lower it to any desired position,
to ensure its proper action on the cards to remove them from the barrel as it is
turned, small catch levers being mounted above to secure the spindle in proper
position as adjusted in its slots. And when desired an oscillating motion may be
given to this roller and its spindle to assist in the positive removal of the cards
from the pattern barrel as it is turned; which reciprocating motion may be taken
through cranks or connecting rods from a cam or cams on the barrel shaft, which
is turning at the same instant as the cards are desired to be removed from it.
A further improvement consists in an arrangement for the easy lifting of the
spring spindles of the hammers or pressers which hold the card barrel in its proper 1
position for the card acting on the ends of their pattern wires for engaging or
disengaging the hooks of the jacquard mechanism." One simple arrangement of
which consists in mounting two oscillating levers on the upper frame carrying the
spindles of the hammers, with the forked end of each lever inserted under a collar
or head on the top of each spindle, having the other two free ends of the levera
stretching towards each other, and depressed or raised simultaneously by a small
hand screw in the centre, so as to either raise or lower the hammers off each end of
the pattern barrel, for its removal when anything has to be done to the cards and
re-inserting it without loss of time.