Improvements in Mechanism for Controlling the Movements of Shuttle-boxes in Looms.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 8th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Controlling the Movements of
Shuttle-boxes in Looms.
We, JAMES HILL of Keighley in the County of York, Engineer, and EBER
SMITH of Number 15 Sefton Street, Nelson-in-Marsden, in the County of
Lancaster, Overlooker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows, that is to say :-
It consists of an improved arrangement and combination of means whereby the
number of pattern cards or the length of pattern surface necessary for the pro-
duction of any design in the fabric being woven, is considerably reduced as compared
with the number or length of said pattern cards or surface under ordinary
circumstances.
To attain this object we mount a pattern cylinder in any suitable framework
that might readily be attached to or mounted upon looms at present in use, the
length of this pattern cylinder being such as to enable or allow the use thereon of
peg-lags or pattern cards having a considerably greater number of holes or pegs
than have heretofore been used in connection with such pattern mechanism, the
holes or pegs in each of said cards or lags being twenty, thirty or more in
number.
On said framework and in suitable proximity with this cylinder we mount a
sliding bracket having a projecting piece extending over or into connection with
said pattern cylinder so that an operating pin carried by same may be brought
into contact with the pattern surface on said cylinder in such a manner that it (said
pin) may indicate through suitable lever or other indicating mechanism which
shuttle-box has to be brought into operating position on the lay as may be directed
by said pattern surface.
This sliding bracket together with its pin is moved step by step so that its said
pin is presented to each indicating hole or peg in the card or lag, in succession, the
rack and ratchet or screw mechanism employed for moving this bracket and pin being
so arranged that when same has reached the extent or last hole or peg of the card
or lag, it returns to the opposite end. for recommencing its operations on the next
card or lag brought into position by the moving of the cylinder or it awaits the
turning of the cylinder so that it may take each hole or peg in succession in the
opposite direction on its return to the position from which it started.
Instead of employing one pin alone to be brought into contact with each hole or
peg of the pattern surface in succession, a series of levers mounted upon an axial pin
extending across the framework, having their extending ends on the one hand in
connection with said cylinder while their other extending ends reach into contact
on the other hand with another cylinder the pattern surface of the latter being
permanently so arranged that each lever in succession is tilted so that its opposite
end is depressed into contact with the pattern surface of the former cylinder and is,
according as this surface is prepared, either further bodily raised (its central
slotted opening only spanning its axial-pin allowing such extra movement) or
productive of no other result than its mere tilting motion.
When one or other of these levers is bodily raised a rocking bar above it, is
moved a greater or less distance as may be indicated or produced by the pattern
surface, this movement of said rocking bar together with its suitable connecting and
operating levers and other parts, having the desired effect of causing the shuttle-
box to bring, one or other of its shuttles into operating position to produce. the
design required in the fabric. being woven.
The several movements, as the intermittent motions of the pattern cylinders, or

page_text: the intermittent sliding movements of the sliding bracket herein before described,
are derived by suitable cam or crank and lever mechanisms from any appropriate
motor part of the loom.
By arranging the pattern surface so that it may be brought into operation in a
lateral direction as well as in the direction lengthwise of its chain, the object of
reducing the space it occupies as also the number of cards or lags of which it is
formed, is attained.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Controlling the Movements of
Shuttle-boxes in Looms.
We, JAMES HILL of Keighley in the County of York, Engineer and Machine
Maker and EBER SMITH of Number 15 Sefton Street Nelson-in-Marsden, in the
County of Lancaster, Overlooker, 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, that is to say :-
It consists of an improved arrangement and combination of means whereby the
number of pattern cards or the length of pattern surface necessary for the pro-
duction of any design in the fabric being woven, is considerably reduced as
compared with the number or length of said pattern cards or surface under
ordinary circumstances.
In the accompanying sheets of drawings-
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are end front and back elevations respectively of our improved
mechanism showing its application to a loom.
Fig. 4 is illustrative of the same parts as seen from above.
Figs. 5 and 6 are drawings showing the parts employed in joining or coupling
the pattern mechanism to the box operating mechanism.
Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are illustrative of a modified arrangement of mechanism
for attaining the same object as is hereinbefore described, said Figs. 7 and 8 being
elevations showing the opposite ends of said mechanism and Fig. 9 is a view of
same as seen from above, while Fig. 10 is a sectional end view.
Fig. 11 is sectional end view of parts shewn by Fig. 1, the framework being
omitted.
To attain the object of our invention we mount a pattern cylinder a in frame-
work 6 b' which is arranged so that it may be readily attached to or mounted
upon looms at present in use. The part e being the top rail of a loom.
The length of the pattern cylinder a is such as to enable or allow the use
thereon of peg-lags d or pattern cards d (see Fig. 12) having a considerably
greater number of holes or pegs than have heretofore been used in connection with
such pattern mechanism, the holes or pegs in each of said cards or lags being
twenty, thirty or more in number.
On the bars e e' carried by the end frames 6 61, we mount a sliding bracket f
having a projecting piece f hinged to the part f and made to extend over or into
connection with the cylinder a so that the operating pin ƒ³ carried by said part f
may be brought into contact with the pattern surface, which may be lags d or
cards d, on the said cylinder a.
Provided lags d form the pattern surface as shewn in the drawings, then should a
long peg be in position to arrest the part f¹ (by means of the pin falling thereon
in its descent, at which time the lever h will also be arrested by reason of being
in operating connection with said part f¹, through the grid k to which the lever

page_text: is attached, said grid k being mounted as hereinafter described) said part f¹ will
retain the lever h in the position to which it has raised the lever m to bring the
notched pieces
n and n' (by these being fixed to the rod m¹ on which the lever m
is fixed) for the notch n to allow the pin o¹ on the rod o to descend therein and
consequently permit the lever p (which is one of the well known indicating levers
of the box operating mechanism) to place such parts of the box operating
mechanism into operation as shall cause the shuttle box to move either in one
direction or the other, while provided a short peg was in position the part f¹ would
descend lower, and through the above described means draw the notched pieces n
and n' into such a position that the notch n³ would allow the pin o³ on the rod o³ to
descend therein and place the other lever p' into position for causing the shuttle box to
turn in the opposite direction, however provided there is no peg to receive said
part fit will descend to its lowest position so that the notched pieces n n¹ will be
moved with their notches out of the path of motion and their full parts into position
for catching or arresting both of the pins o' and o' in order that the rods o and o
may be held from putting either of the levers p p¹ into position by which means the
shuttle box will remain stationary.
When cards with holes are to be employed in place of lags having pegs of different
lengths, the part f' has two pins fand ƒ (see Fig. 12) the longer pin to fall
upon the blank part of the card when the part f¹ has to be arrested in its highest
position, and the shorter pin f to do likewise (at which time an opening is made
in said card d' to receive the longer pin) when said part f¹ has to be arrested in
its middle position while by two holes being made in the card so that both the
pins and may pass through, then the part f¹ may descend to its lowest position
the slots in the rods m³ h intervening between the levers rh and m allowing these
parts to assume these varied positions notwithstanding the invariable motion of the
lever through which they are operated.
The part is raised by the rod coupling the lever / to the lever ", this lever r
being operated by any suitable motor part of the loom through the rod s lever s' and
shaft and the return movement of said part f¹ is effected by the spring t attached
to the framework b' and the grid k. The return movement of the notched
levers n n being also effected by a spring t¹, while the vertically reciprocatory
movement of the rods o o³ is derived from that of the levers p p' which is effected
by the motor parts of the loon in the well known manner.
The sliding bracket together with the part f1 carrying its pins, is moved step
by step from the side 6 to the side by means of the rack u, which is moved in
the direction of the arrow 2 through a space equal to the distance that one of its
teeth is from another, by means of the tumbler which has a cam surface to effect
such movement when it is operated by the lever r through the rod e¹, its return move-
ment being effected by the spring w, each of said forward movements of said rack u
causing the bracket and piece through the medium of the ratchet to advance
one step in which position it is successively held by the grid laying hold of the pro-
jecting piece fattached to the part (see Fig. 11). This grid k is enabled to thus
lay hold of the piece f' by its brackets to which it is attached being mounted
loosely on the bar e on which they oscillate (the shaft e the centre of which is the centre
of oscillation, is shown in broken lines Fig. 1) since at all times it may descend freely
under the action of the spring t when the rod is moved by the lever r to allow
it so to do, and by the slot in the rod said rod h³ and its lever r are allowed to
continue their rising movement to their usual limit notwithstanding the stoppage
of the lever h by the part " resting on the pattern pegs, such stoppage of the
lever / by the piece f1 being effected by reason of a lip on the underside of said
piece taking under the flange k³ formed on the grid k, while the raising of said
piece f¹ with the said grid k is effected by said piece f¹ loosely resting thereon.
When said bracket has reached the side b₁ by the pin y being brought into
contact with the piece y' as the part fidescends, the lever z is moved to cause the
cam slide to raise the ratchet & out of gear with the rack u so that on the grid k

page_text: .
again rising clear of the finger f the coiled spring within the box 3 will by the
cord 4, retract the bracket f and cause it to returu to the side 6 to recommence its
feeling operations on this side of the pattern surface.
At the time that the cam slide draws the ratchet out of gear with the
rack it also operates the lever bar 5 so that the holding piece 6 is drawn suffi-
ciently forward to allow the ratchet 7 to engage with the wheel
mounted upon
the shaft of the cylinder a whereby said wheel 8 is rotated the space of one tooth
so that the next lag (or card) in the pattern chain is brought to L the top position
thereon and by a suitable knock-off piece 9 (see Figs. 11 and 12A) the ratchet is
again liberated when the bracket f has reached the side b, so also are readjusted.
the whole of the other parts while the ratchet 7 is again held out of gear to allow
the cylinder a to remain stationary until each hole in the card or lag in indicating
position has been utilized as hereinbefore described.
To effect a reversal of the bracket should the design, on the pattern surface,
end somewhere between the extreme ends of a card or lag, the piece 10 is fixed
upon said card or lag at the part where the reversal has to be effected so that
the pin y will be thereby operated as it is when brought into contact with the
piece y¹.
Instead of employing one pin or feeling lever as the part f above described, a
series of levers 12 may be mounted upon a pin 13 extending across the framework.
These levers 12 having their extending ends on the one hand in connection with
said cylinder a while their other extending ends reach into contact on the other
hand with another cylinder (or this may be a peg-barrel having permanent pro-
jections formed on it) 14 the pattern surface of which is permanently arranged so
that it will tilt or raise each of the ends of the levers 12 in succession by which
means the opposite ends of said levers 12 are successively depressed into contact
with the pattern surface of the cylinder a and are, according as this surface is
prepared, that is to say as to whether same comes into contact with a long or short
peg or no peg at all, either further bodily raised (its central slotted opening only
spanning the rod 13 so as to allow such extra movement) or productive of no other
result than the mere tilting motion.
When one or other of these levers 12 is bodily raised as above described, a
· rocking bar 15 hinged at 16 above it, is moved a greater or less distance as may
be indicated by the long or short peg, this movement of said bar 15 causing the
. finger 17 to be in the path of motion of one or other of the notches in the levers 18
and 19 so that it will allow the one to descend while it arrests the descent of the
other, and these levers 18 and 19 are coupled by the cords 20 to the levers p
hereinbefore described thus effecting the controlment of the movements of the
shuttle box as is described in connection with the mechanism forming the subject
matter of the first part of this Specification.
4
Motion is imparted to the cylinders a and 14 by the ratchet 21 and 22 which
are mounted on the lever 23 fixed to the shaft 24 which has oscillatory motion
imparted to it by the lever 25 and rod 26 from any motor part of the loom. The
pin 27 on this lever 25 being utilized to raise the levers 18 and 19 clear of the
finger 17 while gravity effects their return motion.
The cylinder a is at rest during the rotating of the cylinder 14 and until each
lever 12 has been successively brought into contact with it by the rotations of the
cylinder 14, however as each lag of the pattern surface has produced the desired
result by the end lever 28 of the series of levers 12 being then brought into use,
the ratchet 21 is allowed to fall into gear with its ratchet wheel while the ratchet 22
is raised out of gear with its ratchet so that for the space of one movement of the
lever 25 the cylinder a is rotated while the cylinder 14 is stationary.
By arranging the pattern surface so that it may be brought into operation in a
lateral direction as well as in the direction of the length of its chain, the object of
reducing the space it occupies as also the number of cards or lags of which it is

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same may be performed we would have it under-
stood with respect to the subject matter of the latter part of our said Specification,
that we are perfectly aware of the extensive use of two pattern cylinders in
mechanism for controlling the movements of shuttle boxes hence we lay no claim
to their absolute use but what we do claim is—
1. The combination and arrangement of means whereby a pattern surface is
brought into operation in a lateral direction as well as in the direction of the length
of its chain substantially as herein set forth and described.
2. The combination of parts forming the mechanism illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4,
and 11 of the accompanying sheets of drawings substantially as specified.
3. In pattern surface mechanism a sliding bracket arranged to be moved step by
step from one end or side of the pattern surface to the other substantially as
described.
4. The combination of a sliding bracket, means for positively operating same in
one direction and means for disengaging same from its said operating mechanism so
that it may be moved in the opposite direction by any spring or other negative
power substantially as herein specified.
.
5. The combination of a sliding bracket, means for operating same, and the parts
herein described whereby at each of the reverse movements of said bracket the
pattern cylinder is put into and out of operation substantially as specified.
6. The combination of a pattern cylinder with a series of levers and means for
bringing each lever of the said series successively into contact with the pattern
surface on said cylinder substantially as set forth and described.
7. The combination of levers having notches or indents for the reception of
projections or pins with means for regulating the positions to be assumed by these
levers so that they may allow and determine the movements of the shuttle box
substantially as herein specified.
Dated this 7th day of September 1892.
JAMES HILL,
EBER SMITH,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.