Improvements in or appertaining to the Dobby Mechanism or Head Motion of Looms for Weaving.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 1st Feb., 1899-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1899
Improvements in or appertaining to the Dobby Mechanism or Head
Motion of Looms for Weaving.
We, LEAROYD BROTHERS AND CO. LIMITED, of Trafalgar Mills, Leeds Road,
Huddersfield, in the County of York, Worsted Manufacturers, and ARTHUR COUSEN,
of Road Side, Netherton, near Huddersfield aforesaid, Loom Tuner, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to the dobby mechanism or head motion such as is
employed in the Hollingworth and Knowles loom, and comprises the application
thereto of supplemental mechanism for preventing the " connectors" being drawn
over by the weight of the boxes or healds when a bowl on the pattern chain or
the pattern mechanism through wear or other causes, fails to give complete move-
ment to the gear, or when other abnormal conditions arise which may render the
mechanism liable to improper action and allow the weight of the boxes or healds
to draw them over, the result, in the case of the shuttle boxes, fre-
quently being that the picker is struck and, if present, the shuttle
thrown out of the loom. The said mechanism will also act to prevent
sticking or jamming of the parts when actuated to lower the boxes or healds, and
avoids the rebounding of parts of the dobby or jacquard.
In carrying out our invention, we employ in conjunction with each connector
of the dobby or jacquard mechanism a lever of suitable shape, one end of which is
adapted to enter the opening or recess in the bifurcated end of the connector, and
has shoulders thereon which engage with and rest upon the edges of the connector,
such construction keeping the levers in engagement always with their respective
connectors. The said levers are mounted on a common shaft, or centre and, if
required, may be guided vertically in a grate, each lever being forced or held
down by means of a spiral spring which surrounds a needle or spindle supported
in any suitable framework or bracket and resting at the lower end in a footstep
in the edge of the lever. The pressure of the springs can be adjusted, and any
number of levers up to the number of connectors employed may be
arranged above the connectors to act thereon. If the connectors through
any cause are not positively drawn over to the full extent in raising the
boxes or healds, the pressure of the levers above described prevents the weight
of the boxes or healds drawing back the connectors and forces them forward to
complete their movement; and in the event of any of the connectors or jack levers
jamming or sticking fast when the boxes or healds are being lowered, the pressure
of the levers will overcome the obstruction and ensure full movement of the parts.
The application of the levers also avoids the rebound which results from the
actuation of the dobby or jacquard on changing the boxes or shed, especially if
heavily weighted.
1
1000

page_text: Improvements in or appertaining to the Dobby Mechanism or Head
Motion of Looms for Weaving.
We LEAROYD BROTHERS AND CO. LIMITED, of Trafalgar Mills, Leeds Road,
Huddersfield, in the County of York, Worsted Manufacturers, and ARTHUR COUSEN,
of Road Side, Netherton, near Huddersfield aforesaid, Loom Tuner, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment;
This invention relates to the dobby mechanism such as is employed in the
Hollingworth and Knowles loom, and comprises the application thereto of supple-
mental mechanism for preventing the connectors being drawn over by the
weight of the boxes or healds when a bowl on the pattern chain, or the pattern
mechanism through wear or other causes, fails to give complete movement to the
gear, or when other abnormal conditions arise which may render the mechanism
liable to improper action and allow the weight of the boxes or healds to draw the
connectors over, the result, in the case of the shuttle boxes, frequently being that
the picker is struck and, if present, the shuttle thrown out of the loom. The said
mechanism will also act to prevent sticking or jamming of the parts when actuated
to lower the boxes or healds, and avoids the rebounding of parts of the dobby or
pattern mechanism.
In carrying out our invention, we employ in conjunction with each connector
of the dobby mechanism a lever of suitable shape, one end of which is
adapted to enter the opening or recess in the bifurcated end of the connector and
has shoulders thereon which engage with and rest upon the edges of the connector,
such construction keeping the levers in engagement always with their respective
connectors. The said levers are mounted on a common shaft, or centre and, if
required, may be guided vertically in a grate each lever being forced or held
down by means of a spiral spring which surrounds a needle or spindle supported
in any suitable framework or bracket resting at the lower end in a footstep
in the edge of the lever. The pressure of the springs can be adjusted, and any
number of levers up to the number of connectors employed may be arranged above
the connectors to act thereon.
In order that our invention may be fully understood, reference is hereafter had
to the annexed sheet of drawings forming a part of this specification in which:-
Fig. 1 is sectional elevation of so much of a dobby or head motion of the type
employed in the Hollingworth and Knowles loom as is necessary to shew the
application of our improvements, and,
Fig. 2 is end elevation of a portion thereof looking in the direction of arrow A
Fig. 1.
Referring to the drawings letter a represents the loom framing; b, c, the top and
bottom gears; d the vibrator levers carrying the vibrator gear wheels e; f the
connectors secured at one end to the vibrator gear wheels e and at their opposite
ends to the jack levers g, or heald and shuttle box connections; and the pattern
chain; all the aforesaid parts comprising essentially the ordinary dobby or head
motion employed in the Hollingworth and Knowles loom and being operated and
operating in the usual and well known manner.
Our invention consists in employing in conjunction with the connectors f of
the dobby, both those for actuating the healds or harness and those for actuating
the shuttle boxes, supplemental mechanism comprising a series of pressure levers i
of suitable shape one for each connector which are mounted loosely side by side on

page_text: a shaft or rod j extending across the dobby or head motion and secured in bear-
ings in brackets & bolted to the framing a, or instead of such brackets k, the
framing a may be cast with extensions having provision for receiving and sup-
porting the shaft or rod j.
These levers i, are located above or over the connectors f each being lineable
with its respective connector, and they extend to a point as near to the vibrator
gear wheels e as is convenient and suitable. The free ends of the said levers i
are provided at right angles or approximately at right angles, with arms or exten-
sions which, preferably, are curved or form arcs of circles drawn from the
centre the function of such arms or extensions being to preserve the relative
position of the levers i in all their movements and to prevent side play, or such
lateral movement as might cause one lever to catch on an adjacent lever. Instead
of, or in addition to, such arms or extensions we may employ a fixed grate or
grid for the levers i to work in.
On the foot of each extension of the levers i or on the underside of the free end
of each lever, is a lug or projection which is adopted to enter the opening or
recess in the bifurcated or forked ends of the connectors and to maintain the levers
in engagement always with their respective connectors, the levers themselves
resting on the upper edges of their corresponding connectors and being held in
constant contact therewith by means of spiral springs m surrounding vertical
spindles n which rest in footsteps o formed in the upper edges of the levers & the
upper ends of said spindles passing through openings in a frame p secured to the
brackets k, in which they are supported and guided in their vertical movements.
The springs m are confined between the enlarged diameters or shoulders on the
lower ends of the spindles n and the underside of the bridge of the frame p, and
their pressure or tension can be regulated or adjusted by raising or lowering the
frame which is slotted, where bolted to the brackets k, to admit of such adjust-
ment; or any other means or method of adjusting the tension of the springs may
be adopted.
When the connectors f are at rest, or in their normal positions, as shewn in
one position in dotted line in Fig. 1, the pressure of the levers i thereon is very
slight and does not impede or materially affect the initial movement of the con-
nectors as they are forced forward or backward, to change the "shed" by the
partial rotation of the vibrator gear wheels connected therewith. On the said
vibrator gear wheels being turned round part of a revolution by their engagement
with the upper or lower gears b, c according to the selection of the pattern chain,
to draw over the connectors to raise or lower the healds and boxes as the case may
be, the upward movement of the connectors f in approaching the dead centre of
the vibrator gear wheels e, as illustrated in full line in Fig. 1 places the springs m
in compression so that at the highest part of the radial movement of said connectors,
the greatest tension of the springs m is brought to bear on the levers i to force
them over the dead centre, consequently, if the connectors through any cause, such
as defective bowls on the pattern chain, are not positively drawn over to the full
extent in raising the boxes and healds, the pressure of the levers i will prevent
the weight of the boxes or healds drawing back the connectors and force them, for-
ward to complete their movement, and, in the event of any of the connectors f
or jack levers jamming or sticking fast when the boxes or healds are being
lowered, the pressure of the levers i will overcome the obstruction and ensure full
and complete movement of the parts. The application of the pressure levers i
also avoids the rebound which results from the actuation of the dobby or head
motion on changing the boxes or shed, especially if heavily weighted, and thereby
minimises breakages.
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 dobbies or head motions of looms for weaving the employment in coniunc-

page_text: tion with the "connectors" for actuating the jack levers or heald and box con-
nections, of a series of pressure levers, one for each "connector," acting on said
connectors in the manner and for the purposes substantially as herein shewn and
described.
66
"con-
(2) In dobbies or head motions of looms for weaving the combination with
nectors" deriving their movement from the vibrator gear wheels for actuating the
jack levers or heald and shuttle box connections, of a series of levers such as i,
one for each "connector," mounted loosely on a common centre in a suitable and
convenient position over or above the connectors" and engaging therewith, said
levers being provided with means for preventing side play or lateral movement and
with lugs or projections such as adopted to enter the recesses or openings in the
forked or bifurcated ends of the " connectors" and maintain the pressure levers
in engagement with their respective "connectors" and spindles such as n, resting
in footsteps formed in the upper edges of the pressure levers i, and having confined
spiral springs surrounding same, all arranged and acting in the manner and for
the purposes substantially as set forth.
Dated this 31st day of January 1899.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Patent Agents, Halifax, Agents for the Applicants.