Improvements in Looms for the Manufacture of Tufted or Pile Fabrics.
Year: 1890

page_text: The decision of the Comptroller-General, of the 26th day of April 1893, allowed,
under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883, an Amendment of this
Specification.
Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1891-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Looms for the Manufacture of Tufted or Pile
Fabrics.
We JOHN BRINTON AND COMPANY LIMITED of Kidderminster in the County
of Worcester Carpet Manufacturers and THOMAS GREENWOOD of The Shrubbery,
Wolverley, near Kidderminster aforesaid, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows :-
Our invention has reference to looms for the manufacture of tufted or pile
fabrics, and more particularly of carpets or fabrics of the kind known as Royal
Axminster or Moquette, and the improvements chiefly relate to moving the tuft
yarn carriers by means of jacquard mechanism so as to bring the proper yarns to
the grippers or nippers in accordance with the design or pattern to be produced;
and further to an improved form and disposition of the grippers or nippers for
taking hold of the ends of the tuft yarns and carrying the tufts, after having been
severed, to the fell of the cloth.
The yarns are contained on bobbins in frames such as are used in a loom for
weaving jacquard Brussels and Wilton carpets, say for example a six frame carpet,
but it is to be understood that a fabric of more or less frames can be made in the
same loom. The yarns from the bobbins are led to carriers which are placed side
by side and are in number equal to the tufts contained in one row in the width of
the carpet to be woven. Each carrier has a number of holes arranged one above
another, ciz.-one hole for every colored yarn, or for example six holes for a six
frame carpet. The yarns project a short distance beyond the carriers and each
hole is fitted with a check preferably in the form of a spring to prevent the yarn
passing too freely through the hole. Each carrier is connected independently by
means of cords to jacquard mechanism, so that at every jacquard action the
different carriers are more or less lifted (or lowered) in accordance with the design
and consequently they each of them bring the particular yarn required by the
design into the horizontal line at which the grippers or nippers act. The grippers
then close on the yarns, the carriers move back so as to give off a sufficient length
of the yarns for the tufts, the tufts are then severed, and the grippers or nippers
carry them close to the fell of the cloth.
There is a separate pair of grippers or nippers for each carrier, and they are of
special form and disposition. One gripper lies within the other and the form of the
two combined may be compared to a goose neck and beak. They are normally
kept closed by a spring, and are mounted at the end opposite the beak or jaws on a
horizontal axis in front of the carriers. After they have taken hold of the yarn
and a sufficient length of same has been given off and severed as above described,
they turn on their axis to the extent of about half a circle, thereby bringing the
tufts of yarn close to the fell of the cloth. The grippers are thus inverted and the
hollow at the bends of the necks of the series of grippers across the loom constitutes
a guide or race for the shuttle. One or more shoots of weft are now inserted into

page_text: the shed by a needle or shuttle passing above the grippers and bind the tufts into
the fabric. The grippers then rise out of the shed, and being opened leave the
loose ends of the tufts on the face of the cloth. Other shoots are inserted to bind
these ends into the fabric, and the grippers return to the carriers to take hold of the
next row of tufts.
The arrangement by which the jacquard is made to lift the yarn carriers to
various heights so as to bring the particular yarns required by the design into the
horizontal line at which the grippers act consists of a number of vertical hooked
wires of various length to which the cords from the carriers are connected.
Supposing there are six yarns in each carrier five degrees of lift will have to be
provided for and therefore five hooked wires of varying lengths and five cords will
be employed for each carrier. These wires are regulated by cross needles which
are governed in their horizontal movement by cards passing over a cylinder in the
usual way. The cross needles select such vertical hooked wires as have to be lifted
by the grid which therefore when raised lifts the selected wires together with the
corresponding cords and yarn carriers.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1890.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Looms for the Manufacture of Tufted or Pile
Fabrics.
We, JOHN BRINTON AND COMPANY, LIMITED, of Kidderminster, in the
County of Worcester, Carpet Manufacturers, and THOMAS GREENWOOD, of The
Shrubbery, Wolverley, near Kidderminster aforesaid, Mechanic, 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 stateinent :-
Our invention has reference to looms for the manufacture of tufted or pile fabrics
and more particularly of carpets or fabrics of the kind known as Axminster, Royal
Axminster or Moquette, and the improvements chiefly relate to moving the tuft
yarn carriers by means of jacquard mechanism so as to bring the proper yarns to
the grippers or nippers in accordance with the design or pattern to be produced,
and further to an improved form and disposition of the grippers or nippers for
taking hold of the ends of the tuft yarns and carrying the tufts, after having been
severed, to the fell of the cloth.
The yarns are contained on bobbins in frames such as are used in a loom for
weaving jacquard Brussels and Wilton carpets, say for example a nine frame
carpet, but it is to be understood that a fabric of more or less frames can be made
in the same loom. The yarns from the bobbins are led to carriers which are placed
side by side and are in number equal to the tufts contained in one row in the width
of the carpet to be woven. Each carrier has a number of holes arranged one above
another, one hole for every colored yarn, or for example nine holes for a nine
frame carpet. The yarns project a short distance beyond the carriers and each hole
is fitted with a check preferably in the form of a spring to prevent the yarn passing
too freely through the hole. Each carrier is connected independently by means of
cords to jacquard mechanism so that at every jacquard action the different carriers
are more or less lifted (or-lowered) as hereinafter described in accordance with the
design and consequently they each of them bring the particular yarn required by
the design into the horizontal line at which the grippers or nippers act. The
grippers then close on the yarns, the carriers move back so as to give off a sufficient
length of the yarns for the tufts, the tufts are theu severed, and the grippers or
nippers carry them close to the fell of the cloth.
There is a separate pair of grippers or nippers for each carrier and they are of
special form and disposition. One gripper lies within the other and the form of

page_text: the two combined may be compared to a goose neck and beak; they are normally
kept closed by a spring and are mounted at the end opposite the beak or jaws on a
horizontal axis in front of the carriers. After they have taken hold of the yarn
and a sufficient length of same has been given off and severed as above described
they turn on their axis to the extent of about half a circle thereby bringing the
tuft of yarn close to the fell of the cloth. The grippers are thus inverted and the
hollow at the bends of the necks of the series of grippers across the loom
constitutes a guide or race for the shuttle. One or more shoots of weft are now
inserted into the shed by a needle or shuttle passing above the grippers and bind
the tufts into the fabric. The grippers then rise out of the shed and being opened
leave the tufts on the face of the cloth. Other shoots are inserted to bind these
ends into the fabric and the grippers return to the carriers to take hold of the next.
row of tufts.
The accompanying drawings represent so much of a loom as is necessary to
enable our invention to be fully understood.
Figure 1 is a side elevation with the frame in section showing the loom with the
parts in the positions they occupy after the grippers have taken hold of the tuft
yarns and a sufficient length of yarn has been given off by the moving back of the
carriers. The grippers seen in the figure are shown as having seized the top yarn
which will be the case when the corresponding carrier has not been lifted by the
jacquard mechanism.
Figure 2 is a similar view but showing the parts in the positions they occupy
when the grippers have carried the severed tufts close to the fell of the cloth; and
the carrier is represented as having been lifted one degree by the jacquard as will
be the case when the yarn which is second from the top has to be taken hold of by
the grippers. Only one pair of grippers and one tuft yarn carrier are seen in these
figures but it is of course to be understood that there will be as many pairs of
grippers placed side by side and as many tuft yarn carriers placed side by side as
there are tufts in one row in the width of the carpet to be woven.
Figures 3 and 4 represent in side elevation in two positions the arrangement
whereby the tuft yarn carriers are more or less lifted by means of the jacquard
mechanism in accordance with the design.
Figures 5 to 10 are detail views.
a Figures 1 and 2 is the carrier (one of the series all of the same construction);
it. is adapted to receive nine yarns b which are led from bobbins in frames such as
are used in looms for weaving jacquard Brussels carpets as is well understood; the
number of yarns is of course optional as it will depend upon the carpet to be made
and the consequent number of frames. Each yarn is led through a separate.
hole c in the carrier as seen more clearly in Figures 5 and 6 which are respectively
a side view and a front view of a portion of the carrier on a larger scale. Each
hole has a check in the form of a spring d to prevent the yarn passing too freely
through the hole or springing back after having been severed. There is a recess e
in the front of the carrier above and below each hole to enable the grippers to
more readily take hold of the yaru. The carriers extend up through a frame f
and each of them is connected independently by means of cords
g to jacquard
mechanism (see Figures 3 and 4) so that, as has been already stated, at every
jacquard action the different carriers a are more or less lifted in accordance with
the design and they consequently each of them bring the particular yarn required
by the design into the horizontal line in which the grippers act. The arrangement
by which this is effected is as follows:-
Supposing as seen in the figures there are nine yarns in each carrier 8 degrees of
lift will have to be provided for (uo lift being requisite when the top yarn is
required by the pattern as in Figure 1) and therefore 8 cords Figures 1 and 2
are connected to each carrier and these cords are respectively connected to 8 hooked
wires (Figures 3 and 4) of varying lengths the differences in length being equal
to the distances between the holes c in the carrier. These wires h are regulated
by cross needles which are governed in their horizontal movement by cards

page_text: passing over a cylinder j in the usual way. The cross needles i select such hooked
wires as are to be lifted by the grid which therefore when raised as shown in
full lines in Figure 4 lifts the selected wires together with the corresponding cords g
and yarn carriers each yarn carrier being lifted an amount which will depend upon
the particular wire selected in its own case. Figure 4 shows the longest wire h
lifted which will bring the 2nd hole (counting from the top) of the carrier a in line
with the grippers, the top hole being in line when no wire connected with the
carrier is selected. Figure 4 also shows in dotted lines the extent to which the
shortest wire is lifted when it is selected by the corresponding needle i, this lift
bringing the lowest hole of the carrier in line with the grippers. Figure 7 shows
in diagrammatic plan how the needles i act on the wires ; it will be seen that
each needle has a crank or bend which when the needle is pushed by the jacquard
card carries the corresponding wire with it. The top needle i seen in Figure 7
is that corresponding with the longest wire of one carrier, and the other needle
seen in Figure 7 is that corresponding with the second longest wire of the
adjoining carrier.
In order to compensate for any accidental variation in the length of the cords g
which would cause the carriers to be either insufficiently or too much lifted we form
a number of V notches (Figures 1 and 2) in each carrier at distances apart
corresponding exactly with the several degrees of lift, and in connection with these
notches we employ a horizontal reciprocating bar or plate m which by entering the
notches corresponding with the lifts of the various carriers last effected by the
jacquard mechanism (see Figure 1) brings the carriers to correct " register" that
is to say, lifts them a little if they have been lifted too little or lowers them a little
if they have been lifted too high.
The bar or plate m is moved out of the notches by means of arms m² (one at
each side of the loom) to which it is connected these arms being moved out at the
proper time by a partial turn imparted by a cam or otherwise to a shaft. m² which
carries these arms. The bar m is on the other hand pulled into the notches / by
means of springs m³ (one at each side of the loom) connected at one end to the
arms and at the other end to the end frames m of the bar m.
When the carriers with their yarns have been lifted to the requisite heights the
grippers close on the yarns that are in the horizontal line at which the grippers act.
The carrier frame with all the carriers a a is then moved back (see Figure 1) by
means of bell crank levers a (one at each side of the loom and turning on shafts
or axes n¹) so as to give off a sufficient length of the yarns for the tufts. The
tufts are then severed by devices consisting of two cutters pp' carried by a frame y
fixed to the frame f. These cutters (see the fractional face view Figure 8) are
like the blades of a horse clipper and are first raised by means of sliding plates
(one at each side of the loom) acting against studs which pass through both
cutters; when thus raised the cutter teeth enter between the yarns and then the
cutier p by a traversing motion brings its teeth across the spaces between the
teeth of the cutter and thereby severs the yarns. The sliding movement of
the plates and the traversing motion of the cutter p¹ are obtained from tappets or
cams as in other tuft yarn cutters, as is well understood.
"
Each pair of grippers consists of two grippers tt', t lying within t, and hinged
together at 2 and the two combined have a form resembling a goose neck and beak
(see Figure 1). They are normally kept closed by a spring and are fixed on a
rode connected by links or frames (one at each side of the loom) to a horizontal
shaft a which forins their axis. They are opened at the proper times by means of
a tappet y on a shaft y' carried by the links w.
On the shaft is a disc y² with a projection y³ against which one end of a rod y
bears. When the grippers have to be opened the rod y' under the action of a cam or
other like device pushes the projection y and thereby causes the dise y' and shaft y' to
turn partly round so that the tappet y acts on the projection y on the gripper t¹
and causes this gripper to open. A catch on a lever which is pivoted to the
link and acted upon a spring y enters a notch in the disby and thereby retain's

page_text: the grippers open.
When the grippers have to be closed a rod y' under the action
of a cam or other like device pushes the lever y so as to free the catch y from the
disc y and then the spring returns the parts to the relative positions they
occupied before the gripper t was opened by the action of the rod y, and the
gripper therefore closes.
After the yarns have been severed as above described the grippers turn with.
their shaft into the position seen in Figure 2 thereby bringing the tufts of yarn.
close to the fell of the cloth. The grippers are thus inverted and the hollow at.
the bends of the necks of the series of grippers across the loom constitutes a guide
or race for the shuttle as indicated at Figure 2. The grippers lay the tufts of
yarn upon a comb A (shown separately in plan view in Figure 9); then after the
weft has been shot the lay B and reeds C (Figures 1 and 2) beat up and bind the
tufts against this comb; next the grippers open, release the tufts and rise out of
the shed and in so doing somewhat lift up what were previously the gripped ends
of the tufts. Then an upper comb or bar D with a combined upward and backward
movement followed by a downward and forward movement comes behind the tufts.
and brings the previously gripped ends into a vertical position in which they are
then secured by another shoot of weft, the dead warp having been meanwhile raised
as will be well understood. During this time the grippers return to the carriers to
take hold of the next row of tufts. The movements of the comb or bar D as above
described are produced as follows:-The comb is carried by rods D' (one at each
side of the loom) jointed to levers or rods E which are themselves pivoted at F
while to an intermediate part of the reds D₁ are jointed rods G (one at each side
of the loom). Starting with the position of these parts as seen in Figure 2 the
rods G are lifted by suitable mechanism and thereby raise the comb D clear of the
tufts and then the levers or rods E by moving to the position seen in Figure 1
move the comb D beyond the tufts; next the rods G draw down the comb to the
level seen in Figure 1 and finally the rods E by returning to the position seen in
Figure 2 draw the comb against the tufts.
The reeds C are made double; that is to say, each reed has two dents 1, 2,
placed one behind the other. Each warp thread passes at the one side of the
back dent of the corresponding reed and then at the other side of the front
dent 2 of the same reed being in fact threaded through between the back and front
dents as will be seen on reference to Figure 10 which is a horizontal section of a
double reed. These double reeds have the effect of keeping the warp threads close
up to the side of the reeds and therefore at a uniform distance from each other
which is important to enable the tuft yarns to be readily inserted between them.
Instead of the yarn carriers a being lifted by the jacquard mechanism the
arrangement may be such that the said mechanism causes or allows the carriers to.
descend in order to bring the proper yarns into the horizontal line in which the
grippers act, as will be readily understood.
We do not claim as parts of the present invention the comb A and upper comb.
or bar D working as described, or the double reed, because these devices form the
subject of a separate application for Patent No. 11268 of 1891, but we have
thought it desirable to describe them in this Specification because they enable the
present invention to be better carried into effect.
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 we do.
not claim broadly the connecting of the yarn carriers with jacquard mechanism so that at
each jacquard action they are lifted by the said mechanism the varying distances required
to bring the proper yarns in line with the grippers in accordance with the design
pattern to be produced, but what we claim is :-
UP
1. Connecting the yarn carriers--with-jacquard mechanism so that at each
jacquard action the enrriers are lifted (or lowered) by the said mechanism-the
varying distances required to bring the proper yarns in line with the grippers-in-

page_text: accordance with the design or pattern to be produced, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
21. In an arrangement such-us set forth in Claim-1, in which the yarn carriers
are connected with jacquard mechanism in order that at each jacquard action they
may be lifted by the said mechanism the varying distances required to bring the proper
yarns in line with the grippers in accordance with the design or pattern to be produced,
a series of vertical wires of varying or differential lengths by means of which the
varying degrees of lift are imparted to the yarn carriers by the jacquard mechanism
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. 2. The combination with yarn carriers adapted to be moved varying distances
by jacquard mechanism in the manner and for the purpose set forth, of means
substantially as hereinbefore described, whereby correct "register" of the carriers
at each movement is ensured.
4. 3. The particular form, disposition and action of the grippers substantially as
hereinbefore described, whereby the said grippers after they have taken hold of the
yarns and the yarns have been drawn out and severed, carry the tufts to the fell
of the cloth, and take up a position in which they constitute a guide or race for the
shuttle, as set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of Jul. 1901
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.