Improvements appertaining to Loom Shedding Mechanism.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 9th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1899
PROVISIONAL DITUITIVATION.
Improvements appertaining to Loom Shedding Mechanism.
We, WILLIAM ARTHUR CRABTREE and DAVID CRABTREE, both of Wrose Brow
Works, Windhill, Shipley, in the County of York, Machine Makers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say:-
two
It relates to improvements in loom shedding mechanism of the class wherein
ratchets are mounted upon the heald operating levers to be operated by recipro-
cating draw bars, and otherwise arranged to be held in their raised positions when
desired, the said class of mechanism as heretofore constructed being such as to
necessitate a double functional signification or what is commonly known as
meanings in its pattern surface, that is to say, whereas at one time a peg
or hole in the pattern surface might indicate for its respective heald or heddle
to be raised, while at another time it (said peg or hole) might indicate for it to
be lowered, this being a source of great inconvenience and trouble to the users
of such machines whenever alterations in the pattern surface are required.
To obviate this by arranging and constructing certain of the parts so that at
all times a peg or hole in the pattern surface will indicate a rise of the heddle
while a blank in either case will indicate for the lowering of said heddle or
uce versa, is the object of this invention.
To attain this object instead of the outer end of each ratchet, having two
hooks formed thereon at a fixed distance apart from each other, the lower of
such hooks is formed on a supplementary ratchet which is pivotted to the other
in such a manner that its rear end will secure it in proper position relatively
with the other ratchet.
This hinged part of the ratchet is arranged to come into contact when in its
lowered position with a stop piece that will cause its hooked end to be raised
clear of its draw-bar when said ratchet is allowed to fall into its lowest position
as indicated by the pattern mechanism. Thus, whenever the nattern surface
indicates so that the upper hook of the ratchet is lowered out of position with
its draw-bar, the falling action thereof causes the lower hook hinged to it, to
rise out of position with the other draw-bar, at such time no motion being trans-
mitted to the heddles, while when said upper hook is raised by the pattern
surface into position for contact with its draw-bar, the lower one is allowed to
descend into operating position with the other draw-bar and so the object desired
is attained.
By arranging and constructing the parts as hereinbefore described the process
known as "lagging back" may be performed without the pattern surface becom-
ing disarranged relatively with the levers in the machine and the design they,
have to produce in the fabric.

page_text: Improvements appertaining to Loom Shedding Mechanism.
We, WILLIAM ARTHUR CRABTREE and DAVID CRABTREE, both of Windhill,
Shipley, in the County of York, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to
say:
It relates to improvements in loom shedding mechanism of the class wherein
ratchets are mounted upon the heald operating levers to be operated by recipro-
cating draw-bars and otherwise arranged to be held in their raised positions when
desired, the said class of mechanism as heretofore constructed being such as to
necessitate a double functional signification or what is commonly known as two
meanings in its pattern surface, that is to say, whereas at one time a peg
in the said pattern surface might indicate for its respective heald or heddle to
be raised, while at another time it (said peg)' might indicate or act upon the
lever mechanisms to cause it to be lowered, this being a source of great incon-
venience and trouble to the users of such machines whenever alterations in the
pattern surface to produce altered or different designs in the fabric, are required.
To obviate this by arranging and constructing certain of the parts so that at
all times a peg on the pattern surface will indicate for or effect the lowering of
its respective heddle or for keeping said heddle in its lowest position or vice versa,
is the object of this invention and this we attain by making use of the devices
and mechanism hereinafter described and as illustrated by the accompanying
sheet of drawings wherein:-
Fig. 1 is a sectional front elevation of shedding mechanism produced in accord-
ance with our invention the several parts being shown in the position they assume
when the heddles are at their lowest, the moving of these heddles into this position
being effected by weights or springs mounted in connection therewith in any
of the well known arrangements.
Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but shows the parts in the positions they
assume when the heddles are raised by their draw bars overcoming the retracting.
weights or springs connected therewith. In this figure the framework of the
machine is omitted for the sake of clearness.
Fig. 3 is a view of the parts shown by Fig. 2 as seen from above and when
they are in the position shown by Fig. 1.
A indicates the framework of the machine and B the top rail or framework
of a loom upon which said machine is mounted.
In accordance with our invention, instead of the outer end of each ratchet a
having two hooks formed thereon at a fixed distance from each other as hereto-
fore, the lower hook b¹ is now formed on a supplementary ratchet a¹ which is
pivotted to the ratchet a at c so that when these said ratchets a and a¹ are in
their rear positions shown by Fig. 1 and are not being acted upon by the pattern
surface on the barrel m they rest upon the cross bar f and their hooks bb'
approach each other while when the said ratchet a is drawn forward by its draw
bar d (which acts in the well known manner) as shown by Fig. 2, the ratchet a
falls by gravity so that its hook 6' is carried from approaching the hook b and
now lies in the path of motion of its draw-bar d, by which means should one or
other of the pegs t on the barrel m have raised the retaining piece h (pivotally
mounted on the shaft k) as shown also by Fig. 2 on the return movement of the
bar d the ratchet a is retracted or caused by its weighted heddle to return until
its hook comes into connection with the prong h¹ on the piece h where it is

page_text: held to retain said heddle in its raised position until by the advancing movement
of the bar d' this latter is brought to engage with the said hook b₁ causing it to
advance sufficiently to draw the ratchet a to bring its hook p clear of the prong h¹
in this manner the piece h is freed and may again descend by gravity into con-
tact with the pattern surface on the barrel m to be again raised into the position
shown by Fig. 2 if another peg t is brought beneath it or if there is no such
peg presented at this time when it will assume its position shown by Fig. 1 and
the ratchets a and a¹ are permitted to recede with the bar as this latter will
at such time prevent them from moving at a greater rate since the hook b' will
be engaged with said bar d'.
The piece has the prongs ¹ and formed upon it so that the retaining
hook on the ratchet a may engage with the prong h¹ as above described, while
the prong h¹ will act upon the rear end all of the ratchet a¹ to assist said
ratchet a to descend into the position shown by Fig. 2 should this said ratchet a¹
for any reason not be able so to do by its own weight. From this it will be seen
that whenever the pattern surface on the barrel m indicates or acts so as to
cause or allow the upper hook to be lowered out of the path of motion of its
draw-bar d, the falling action thereof causes the lower hook b¹ to rise out of the
path of motion of the draw-bar d by its ratchet a¹ resting upon the cross bar f
as above described and that at such time the heddle or jack lever s to which the
ratchet a is pivotally connected at 1 is allowed to remain in its lowest or
retracted position shown by Fig. 1, while when the pattern surface m indicates
or acts so that one of its pegs t raises the piece h to bring the hooks bb' into
position for being moved by the bars d d said jack lever s will be raised or
moved into the position shown by Fig. 2 in which position it may be retained
so long as the pattern barrel m continues to present a peg to act upon the
parth, the reverse of such actions of the lever s being effected by the pattern
surface failing to present said pegs to the part h thus at all times pegs placed
on the pattern surface cause elevations of same.
By arranging and constructing the parts as herein before described the process
known as "lagging back" may be performed without the pattern surface becom-
ing disarranged relatively with the levers s and the design they have to produce
in the fabric.
The coupling of the levers s to the heddles and the transmitting of motion to the
barrel m are effected by the usual and well known devices.
Although we have herein described only the employment of lags and pegs as
the pattern surface it will readily be understood by those having a knowledge
of loom shedding mechanism that we might arrange our devices to be operated
by pattern cards instead of lags and pegs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In shedding mechanism of the class described, means whereby the pattern
surface may be made to act at all times in concert or unison with the other parts
to produce the design desired substantially as herein specified.
2. In shedding mechanism for looms, a ratchet a a supplementary ratchet a¹,
hinged piece h and a cross bar f, the same being constructed and arranged to
operate in combination substantially as set forth.
Dated this 8th day of February 1899.
WILLIAM A. CRABTREE,
DAVID CRABTREE,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.