IMPROVEMENTS IN WEFT STOP MOTIONS OF LOOMS
Year: 1884

page_text: I FREDERICK ALLEN of Bearfield Bradford-on-Avon in the County of Wiltshire
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEFT STOP MOTIONS OF LOOMS, to be as follows:-
This invention relates to looms for weaving woollen or other textile fabrics. It
relates particularly to the stop-motion, which is an apparatus for automatically
stopping the loom when the weft is broken or absent, thereby preventing waste of
weft, and damage to the piece. The invention consists in applying to the Batten
or swing of the loom, a horizontal sliding-rod, extending from the middle to nearly
the end of the Batten. One end of a diagonal or slanting cord is connected to the
sliding-rod, the other end to the breast rail. A stud fixed to the sliding rod
operates a horizontal lever; (horizontal only when the weft fork is horizontal)
which actuates a vertical connecting rod, the connecting rod moves a crank, which
operates a small horizontal shaft, to which shaft, or to a block or boss fixed on the
shaft, one or more needles are fixed at one end, hereinafter called a fork. To the
outward end of the sliding rod, and at right angles to it, a horizontal finger is
attached, pointing to the starting and stopping handle. This finger is hinged to the
sliding rod, and is provided with a spring which returns the finger should it be
moved on one side by the handle in starting the loom.
The action of the apparatus is as follows: When the batten is moving from the
breast rail, the horizontal rod is slided by the resistance of the diagonal cord, the
fork is thereby raised through the warp to a position nearly vertical, the shuttle
then passes through the open shed, and as the batten commences its forward stroke,
(moving toward the breast rail) the horizontal rod begins to slide in an opposite
direction, being operated by a spring, and the weft fork is lowered by another
spring till it nearly touches the weft, the action of the spring is then stopped, and
the fork falls lightly upon the weft, being assisted in its further descent by the
weight of the lever and connecting rod, the fork being on the weft and held up by
it, holds up the lever through the medium of the crank and connecting rod, which
allows a fixed projection on the sliding rod to pass under the end of the lever
before the fork has reached the end of its traverse upon the weft, the horizontal rod
hen slides sufficiently to allow the finger on its other end to pass one side of the
starting handle, or a bracket attached to it, as the batten finishes its forward

page_text: stroke, and the loom proceeds. But if the weft is absent the fork falls into a groove
cut in the shuttle race, the lever also descending with it, and the projection on the
sliding rod comes in contact with the end of the lever. The sliding rod is thus
stopped and held in a position which keeps the finger on the other end of the
sliding rod opposite the starting handle, or the bracket attached to it, which it
strikes as the batten finishes its forward stroke, releasing it from its holding notch,
thereby changing the belt from the fixed to the loose pulley and stopping the
loom.
.
IN WEFT STOP-MOTIONS OF LOOMS
I, FREDERICK ALLEN of Bearfield, Bradford-on-Avon, in the County of Wiltshire,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
and in what manner the saine is to be 1
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of
this specification :-
My invention relates to an improved weft stop-motion for looms for weaving
woollen or other textile fabrics or an apparatus for discovering when the weft is 2
broken or absent and automatically stopping the loom when the said weft is broken
or absent thereby preventing waste of weft and damage to the piece.
My invention consists in applying to the batten or swing of the loom, a hori-
zontal sliding rod, extending from about the middle to nearly the end of the batten.
A cord or chain extends diagonally from the said sliding rod to a bracket fixed on the 2
breast-rail the said cord or chain being connected to the said rod and breast-rail.
A stud fixed to the sliding rod operates a horizontal lever; (horizontal only when
the weft fork is horizontal) which lever operates a vertical connecting rod. The
said connecting rod operates a crank which in turn operates a small horizontal
shaft, and to the said shaft, or to a block or boss fixed on the said shaft, one or
more needles or prongs are fixed, the said needles being hereinafter called a fork.
To the outward end of the sliding rod and at right angles to it, a horizontal finger
is attached, pointing towards the starting and stopping handle. This finger is
hinged to a bracket which is fixed to the sliding rod by a set screw and is provided
with a spring which returns the finger should it be moved on one side by the
handle or knocking-off bracket in starting the loom.

page_text: a is the batten, b is the breast-rail and c is the sliding rod, sliding in brackets d, d.
e is the diagonal chain, one end of which is connected to the sliding rod c the other
end of the said chain being connected to the bracket f fixed to the breast-rail b.
g is a bridge to prevent the warp getting entangled with the fork. h is the stud
5 for operating the lever i. kis the connecting rod, is the crank, m is a small
horizontal shaft mounted in bearings in the brackets gland carrying the boss n and
fork o.
p is the sliding rod spring and q is the spring lever connected to the sliding
rod by hook r. 8 is the fork spring, t is the screw for adjusting the said fork
spring; u is the projection or bracket on the sliding rod and v is the horizontal
finger or dagger, hinged to bracket wand held in position by spring . The
dagger can be adjusted to the knocking-off bracket y by the set screw 2. a¹,
Figure 1, is a "dwell," which allows the weft-fork to remain stationary if required
while the batten is finishing its backward and commencing its forward strokes.
The action of my improved apparatus is as follows:- -When the batten a is
moving from the breast-rail 6 the resistance of the diagonal chain e causes the
horizontal rod c to slide in the brackets d. The stud h is thus caused to act upon
the "dwell" a, lever i, connecting rod k and crank and the fork o is thereby
raised through the warp to a position nearly vertical. The shuttle then passes
through the open shed, and as the batten commences its forward stroke (moving
toward the breast-rail) the horizontal rod c slides in an opposite direction, being
operated by the spring p. The fork spring 8 presses upon a projection s¹ formed on
the shaft m causing the said shaft to revolve in its bearings and lowering the fork o
until it is about to press upon the weft. The screw t is so adjusted that the action
of the spring is then stopped by its coming in contact with the end of the said
screw t and the fork falls lightly upon the weft, being assisted in its further descent
by the weight of the lever i and connecting rod k. The fork being on the weft
and held up by it, holds up the lever i through the medium of the crank and
connecting rod k. This allows a fixed projection or bracket u on the sliding rod
to pass under the end of the lever i before the fork has reached the end of its
traverse upon the weft. The horizontal rod c then slides sufficiently to allow the
finger or dagger v to pass one side of the starting handle or knocking-off bracket y
attached to it as the batten finishes its forward stroke and the loom proceeds. But
if the weft is absent or broken the fork falls at once into a groove cut in the shuttle
race, as shown in figure 2, the lever i also descending with it, and the projection or
bracket u on the sliding rod comes in contact with the end of the said lever i.
The sliding rod is thus stopped and held in a position which keeps the finger or
dagger von the other end of the sliding rod opposite the starting handle or the
knocking-off bracket y attached to it. As the batten finishes its forward stroke
the said dagger strikes the said bracket y and releases the starting handle from its
holding notch, thereby changing the belt from the fixed to the loose pulley and
stopping the loom.
In applying my improved apparatus to looms which from their peculiar_con-
struction or from any other cause, render it difficult or objectionable to extend the
sliding rod to nearly the end of the batten, a simple form of knocking-off apparatus,
as shown in Figure 3 may be applied to the breast-rail, and the sliding rod extended
only as far as to bring the dagger opposite the knocking-off lever 0¹. I do not
however claim this knocking-off apparatus, nor do I confine myself to it, my
invention being in the apparatus for actuating the knocking-off bracket or lever
and I do not limit myself to the exact details of the said apparatus herein described
and illustrated, as some of them may be varied without departing from my
invention, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is:-
First. The horizontal sliding rod c arranged and operated as and for the purpose
berein shown and described.

page_text: 41
Second. The lever i operated by the stud h and either with or without the
dwell" a¹ for the purpose as herein shown and described.
Third. The method of actuating the lever i for lifting the weft-fork o by means
of the stud h fixed to the sliding red c for the purpose as herein shown and
described.
Fourth. The method of stopping or locking the sliding rod c by means of the
projection or bracket u coming in contact with the end of the locking lever i as
herein shown and described.
Fifth. The horizontal finger or dagger vattached to the sliding rod e arranged
and operated substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein shown and
described.
Sixth. The diagonal ohain e or its equivalent for operating the sliding rod c as
herein shown and described.
Seventh. The general combination and arrangement of the parts of the apparatus
substantially as herein shown and described for discovering when the weft is
broken or absent and automatically stopping the loom when the said weft is absent
or broken.
Deted this third day of December AD 1884.