An Improved Shuttle Guard and Catcher for Looms for Weaving.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 24th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Shuttle Guard and Catcher for Looms for Weaving.
I, CHARLES HENRY WILKINSON, of Barlbro' Place, Milnsbridge, near
Huddersfield, Yorkshire, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the arrangement and construction of a new form of
shuttle guard which is also adaptable for catching the shuttle.
According to my invention I secure a suitable number of eyelets in the hand
rail of the loom through which a rod is passed. I also connect to the hand rail a
longitudinal bar attached to another bar by means of chains arranged at right
angles to the bars. This latter bar is also provided with eyelets for the reception
of a rod. The space between the two rods mentioned is covered by netting or
wire gauze. Should the shuttle attempt to rise upward it would be checked by
the chains and if the shuttle should fly out of the shuttle box at a tangent which
is the most common practice, the said shuttle would fly between the space formed
by the chain and the gauze and would thus be caught. In order to permit the
chain and gauze to travel some little distance end wise with the force of the shuttle,
I arrange spiral springs on the shafts carrying the network so that whilst the
shuttle is captured, its forward movement is not suddenly checked.
Instead of employing spiral springs to yield when the flying shuttle is caught
hold of by the netting, I may employ an eyelet and a ring or loop within the
eyelet to which loop the netting is attached so that when the flying shuttle is
caught hold of by netting the force imparted by the shuttle will draw or pull the
loop out of the eyelet allowing the netting to traverse endwise with the shuttle
over the cross chain.
"
By catching the shuttle, " traps are prevented which are common now to all
shuttle guards as no provision has been made for catching hold of them after flying
This shuttle guard forms no impediment when weaving and it can be raised
upwards clear of the shed when the weaver requires to piece up, the throw of the
"going part" ensuring it getting back to its working position again.
out.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1894.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Huddersfield, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Shuttle Guard and Catcher for Looms for Weaving.
I, CHARLES HENRY WILKINSON, of Barlbro' Place, Milnsbridge, near
Huddersfield, in the County of York, 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 arrangement and construction of a new form of
collapsable shuttle guard in combination with a shuttle catcher.
Referring to the drawings

page_text: Fig. 4 is similar cross section shewing the guard closed.
Fig. 5 is plan view of a simplified construction of the combined guard and
catcher shewn in its open or active position, and
Fig. 6 is similar plan view shewing the guard and catcher closed up out of
position.
Fig. 7 is cross section taken on line y. y. of Fig. 6.
To the slay cap or hand rail A of the slay or going part is fixed a longitudinal
bar or plate a attached to another bar or rod by means of chains c arranged at
right angles and depending therefrom in loops or festoons. These chains are
coupled to the plate a and rod at intervals apart across the reed space, the
distance between each chain being less than the length of the shuttle used in the
loom.
The bar or rod is supported at each end in moveable slotted brackets_d
pivotted at e to fixed brackets secured to plate a or forming a part thereof. To
the hand rail A and a suitable distance above the chains c are secured a number
of eyelets g through which a wire or rod g' is passed, and a similar wire is also
passed through eyelets secured to the upper face of the rod b. The space
between the wires g¹ and his occupied by a chain or wire netting or gauze i
threaded onto said wires and also onto other wires j. k. resting in the slots in the
brackets d and serving to support the netting in the middle.
Between the netting i and the depending chains c there is left room sufficient
to accommodate a shuttle which is prevented from flying out of the loom by the
said netting which forms the shuttle guard, and is caught and suspended so as not
to fall back onto the warp or fabric by the cross or suspending chains c forming
the catcher.
The guard and catcher above described command the whole exposed length of
the shuttle board B and from their arrangement it will be seen that when a
shuttle flies from the race of the shuttle board, it will enter the catcher between
two of the depending chains c and strike against the netting i which prevents it
flying out of the loom. When brought to a standstill by the netting, the shuttle
falls down onto the cross chains c where it is supported until removed by the
weaver. By these means injury to the operative from flying shuttles is entirely
avoided, and the apparatus protects also the fabric or warp, as, by reason of the
shuttle entering and lodging in the catcher, it cannot break down the warp or cut
the piece, and thus "traps," which are now common to all shuttle guards (in which
no provision has hitherto been made for catching the shuttle) are prevented.
In order to permit the chain netting to travel some little distance laterally in
either direction with the force of the fugitive shuttle so as not to check it too
suddenly I attach spiral springs I to the plate or bar a and to each end of the wire
or shaft forming part of the netting i, and couple together the wires j and k and
bar or rod b by chains or links m so that the whole width of the netting is moveable
against the action of said springs when struck by the shuttle and is returned by
them to its normal position.
When a warp thread is broken and the weaver requires to get near the "reed,"
or for other purposes it is desireable to move the guard and catcher out of the
way, the front bar or rod b is raised or pushed upwards in the slotted brackets d
clear of the "shed" and when nearly pushed home it engages with the shoulders d¹
on said brackets and turns the latter on their pivots inwards in line with the hand
rail, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2, the slots continued at right angles in
the shoulders d', enabling the rod 6 and the wires carrying the network and chains
to pass between the brackets and the hand rail, as shewn at Fig. 4.
One pressure of the hand on the rod 6 is quite sufficient to close up the guard
and catcher into the position shewn at Fig. 4.
Stop pieces n on the brackets d limit their movement in either direction.
On restarting the loom after piecing up the broken end, the throw of the slay
in its forward movement causes the combined guard and catcher, by its own inertia,
to be put into active position again.

page_text: In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 I shew a simplified and less heavy and expensive form of
guard and catcher constructed on the lines of my invention.
In this construction I dispense with two of the parts used in the construction of
the apparatus previously described, viz.-the chain netting i and the wire / with
the eyelets for supporting it, but whilst dispensing with said netting I retain the
wires gand k forming a part thereof and these I couple together by chains or
links which are also coupled to the front rod b and are arranged at short distances
apart so as to form a netting of much coarser mesh, but finer than the shuttle used
can get through, the action of this simplified network being in all respects similar
to and as effective as the chain netting described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4.
The rod b serves to support one side of the network or guard and also one end of
the cross chains c forming the catcher whose arrangement remains as before.
The wire g¹ is passed through eyelets as described or through links secured to
eyelets in the plate a.
The use of metal chains or links is preferred by reason of their greater durability
and resistance to wear and tear, but it is obvious that other suitable material than
metal could be used in making the guard or catcher.
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 :-
In looms, the use therein of a collapsable shuttle guard in combination with a
collapsable shuttle catcher, comprising a series of horizontal rods and wires, chain
netting or network and chains or their equivalents, together with slotted pivoted
brackets such as d, all constructed, arranged and operating, substantially in the
manner described and shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of September 1894.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Huddersfield, Agents.