An Apparatus for Automatically Stopping a Loom when any Length of Fabric has been Woven.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 6th July, 1889-Accepted, 17th Aug., 1889
A
An Apparatus for Automatically Stopping a Loom when any Length
of Fabric has been Woven.
We, JOHN WRIGHT WORSWICK Professor of Music, and BENJAMIN HAROLD
MOZART WORSWICK, Weaver, both of 24, Adamson Street, Padiham, in the county
of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
We fix to the Loom a Friction Wheel, and so adjust it, that its periphery presses
against the periphery of the Measuring Roller (commonly called Sand Roller). This
measuring Roller, by communicating its motion to the Friction wheel, causes the
latter to operate upon a system of cog-wheels terminating in a cam or tappet. These
cog-wheels are so arranged as to vary the number of revolutions which the Friction
wheel must make for one revolution of the cam. The cam regulates the motion of a
sliding spindle or bar, having a projecting arm, which is thereby brought into a
position to arrest the motion of the Weft Fork and stop the Loom, when the
required length of Fabric is woven.
Dated this 4th day of October 1888
JOHN WRIGHT WORSWICK.
BENJAMIN HAROLD MOZART WORSWICK.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus for Automatically Stopping a Loom when any Length
of Fabric has been Woven.
We, JOHN WRIGHT WORSWICK, Professor of Music, and BENJAMIN HAROLD
MOZART WORSWICK, Weaver, both of 24, Adamson Street, Padiham, in the county
of Lancaster 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 :-
Our Invention consists of a Method and Apparatus for automatically stopping
Looms, (when a given length of Fabric has been woven), by the action of the circum-
ference of the measuring roller, commonly called the Sand-roller, upon another wheel
or roller in the same apparatus, by means of friction.
The Invention further consists in so constructing, adjusting and fixing the Friction
wheel or roller that its periphery presses against the periphery of the measuring
roller, and receives from it a revolving motion which it communicates to a system
of cog-wheels, terminating in a cam or tappet. The Invention further consists in so
constructing the friction wheel that its circumference may be increased or diminished
to suit the various sizes of the measuring or sand rollers, or the shrinkage in different
kinds of cloth. The Invention further consists in so constructing and fixing a cam
or tappet, that it shall regulate the vertical motion of a sliding spindle or bar,
having a projecting arm or attachment and a spiral or other spring, and thus bring
this projecting arm into a position for arresting the motion of the weft fork, and
thereby stopping the loom when the required length of fabric is woven. The Inven-
tion further consists in constructing and fixing an automatic Indicator, which shows
by means of an indicating hand moving round a dial plate, how many of the required
lengths of fabric have been woven.
Our Invention is hereinafter more particularly described by reference to the
accompanying drawings.-Fig. 1A is the measuring or sand-roller of the loom ;
B, the friction wheel; C, the cam or tappet; D, the vertical sliding spindle; E, the
projecting arm attached to spindle; F, the breast-beam of the loom; V, a bracket
bolted to F. The framework of our apparatus is suspended from the bracket V by
[P

page_text: means of two pivots H, and its weight presses the friction-wheel B against the
measuring-roller A, which latter communicates its motion to B; and to prevent any
slipping of the friction-wheel B, a spring or extra weight is attached to the frame so
as to increase the pressure of B against A. The revolving motion of the friction-
wheel B is transmitted to the cam C by means of a worm and wheel and a train of
wheels, which wheels can be changed for others having more or less teeth according as
the length of fabric to be woven may require.
has
Fig. 2 is a side view of the cam C, and when in the course of its revolution, it
brings the nose part M almost directly under the spindle D, the latter is raised so as
to lift the finger K (Fig. 1.) above the notch or shoulder which held it, and allows
the spiral or other spring on the spindle to twist or turn it, so as to bring the
arm E directly over the hooked end of the weft fork L. And when the cam
further moved so as to bring the nose M (Fig. 2) beyond the foot of the spindle,
the latter immediately drops down and causes the arm E (Fig. 1.) to arrest the
motion of the weft-fork L, and thereby stops the loom. And before the loom can
again be set in motion, the spindle D must be lifted, and so turned that the finger K
may rest against the same notch or shoulder which held it in place before it was
lifted by the cam C. In some instances it is more convenient to make the cam C
with two or more parts to allow the spindle D to drop more than once in the course
of one revolution, as in weaving very short lengths of fabric.
The handle R passes through a slot in the bracket V, and has a wedge-shaped
sliding projection on the opposite side of the bracket, which, when moved laterally,
pushes the frame of the apparatus away from the roller A and breaks the connection
between B and A. By this arrangement the roller A can be moved round, without
driving the wheel B, when the fabric is being wound off. And to ensure that the
loom is not set in motion before bringing A and B into contact, we connect the
sliding wedge R, with the starting lever of the loom by a chain or any other suitable
connector, so that the same action which starts the loom, withdraws the wedge, and
permits B to come into contact with A. But, when necessary, the loom may be
started without bringing the apparatus into operation by simply disconnecting the
chain and the lever.
The Indicator consists of a spindle N, to which is fastened a toothed wheel, and
both are made to revolve by means of a worm fixed upon the axis of the cam. The
spindle N also passes through the centre of the dial plate P, and carries a hand
round the face of the dial to indicate by the divisions marked thereon, the number of
lengths already woven.
That part of our Invention referring to the increase or the diminution of the
circumference of the Friction-wheel is illustrated by Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
Fig. 3 is a disc or circular plate with a tube or bush H running through the
centre, the flat side of this plate having rectangular grooves A radiating from the
tube to the circumference of the plate. Fig. 4 is a side view of same, showing
the attachment of plate to tube by means of a set-screw, which screw also secures
the friction wheel to the shaft. Fig. 5, is a hollow cup-like device, in segments B,
held together and in place by an elastic band N, and having a circular opening at
the bottom for the tube H pass through. The inner circumference of this cup has
projections O, one to each segment; and the under side of the base has raised parts
or lines K (indicated by the dotted lines) one to each segment, made to fit and move
in the grooves A of Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is also a cup-like device, in one piece, with a circular opening in the centre
for the tube H to pass through, and having its outer circumference notched or toothed
as at F. The segmental cup Fig. 5 is placed on the plate Fig. 3, with the tube H
running through it, so that its under projections K fall into their corresponding
grooves A on the plate. The dotted lines on Fig. 4 show this cup in position. Fig. 6
is then placed inside the segmental cup, the tube H running through the bottom of
this also; and the whole is then fixed and kept in place by a washer and screwed nut
as shown in Fig. 7.
If the cup Fig. 6 be now turned by a key so as to bring its teeth more or less

page_text: under and pressing against the projections O, the segments B (Fig. 5) are pushed
outwards along the grooves A, and the circumference is thereby increased as shown
in Fig. 7. The hexagonal nut when screwed tight keeps the whole in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination of a friction wheel or roller with the measuring roller of the
loom when the former is driven by frictional contact with the latter, in any way
substantially the same as herein described.
2. A device constructed to increase or diminish the periphery of the friction-wheel,
in combination with the Loom Stopping Apparatus in any way substantially the same
as herein described.
3. The combination of a cam or tappet with a spindle or bar or lever for auto-
matically stopping the motion of the weft-fork, in any way substantially the same as
herein described.
4. The use of an Indicator, acting in combination with the Automatic Loom
Stopping Motion, for showing the number of lengths woven, in any way substantially
the same as that which is herein described.
5. A method of connecting the Automatic Loom-Stopping Apparatus with the
starting lever of the Loom to ensure that both be put into operation at the same
instant, after severing the connection of the former with the measuring roller, in any
way substantially the same as herein described.
Dated this 5th day of July 1889.