IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING NARROW FABRICS
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st January 1872.-A communication from abroad by William
Day, of Newark, New Jersey, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
NARROW FABRICS,” a communication, to be as follows :—
This Invention consists, first, in the arrangement of a shuttle driver
provided with two loose slide rods operated separately by balance levers
and cam slots, the said loose rods acting upon the shuttle which is
carried back and forth by the driver in such a manner that the shuttle is
carried through the shed by the alternate action of the slide rods, and
receives a positive motion throughout its entire stroke.
Second. In the arrangement of a compensator provided with balance
weights in combination with a lever pawl acting on a ratchet wheel
secured to the take-up roller in such a manner that by the said com-
pensator a uniform tension is imparted to each piece of fabric to be
taken up, and several different pieces of fabric can be taken up by one
and the same take-up roller.

page_text: Third. In the arrangement of a tension weight acting upon the warp
as the same is taken from the warp beam in combination with a balance
weight, which counteracts the tension weight and is subjected to the
action of a cam or equivalent device in such a manner that at the
moment the warp is let off it is relieved from the extreme strain of the
tension weight, while the said weight is free to exert its full power,
and to keep the warp at a uniform tension during the whole time the
balance weight is acted on by its cam or equivalent device.
Fourth. In the arrangement of a series of levers provided with double
hooks, which pass through needles provided with double cyes and
operated by cams; the said hooks are acted on by alternating knives
in such a manner that by the action of the knives or the hooks the
levers arc actuated and the harness is raised, and as soon as the hooks
are relieved by the knives, the springs of the needles draw the hooks
back, and the harness is free to drop.
Fifth. In the arrangement of loose arms, each provided with a cam
slot and connected to the bed of the batten by rods, the cam slots
being acted on by eccentric wrist pins projecting from wheels mounted
on the driving shaft in such a manner that a free, quick, and casy action
is imparted to the batten.
According to the first part of this Invention I construct a driver
running on rollers and having two holes through it perpendicularly
and corresponding to two similar holes in the shuttle and the same
distance apart; through these holes pass loose iron rods. To these rods
reverse levers are attached by means of a slot in the end of said levers,
and each lever works on a separate stud projecting from an upright
bar passing through the driver; the opposite ends of the levers are made
heavy to assist the levers in raising the rods when passing up through
the shuttle. By this method a number of shuttles may be operated in
one machine. To the bed of the batten is secured a plate having two
slots traversed by the reverse levers. When the loom is in motion
the driver has a horizontal action from right to left, and vice versa,
each groove has an elevation, so that when the levers come in contact
with the said elevations the levers are caused to rise and fall. The
elevations in the grooves are so arranged that the rods which carry
the shuttle shall be raised into the holes in the shuttles alternately.
The driver, the levers, the rods, and shuttle are connected and act in
conjunction with each other.

page_text: According to the second part of my Invention a loose arm works
on a rod in connection with the roll on which the fabric is wound.
The said roll is provided at one end with a ratchet wheel. The aforesaid
rod passes under the driver, and is operated by a cam secured to a
shaft near the back and lower part of the loom. A pawl attached
to the loose arm operates the ratchet to wind the fabric upon the roll.
A stop pawl secured to the frame acts upon the ratchet to hold the
rolls from running back when relcased by the aforesaid feed pawl.
Below the loose arm is a compensator, which consists of a frame
secured to two upright posts and supplied with a roller and a projecting
arm provided with a weight or weights, which serve to keep the com-
pensator down and preserve a proper tension upon the fabric. The
compensator presses upon the fabric as it is woven, and the rod and
arm drop with it until the pawl takes a new tooth upon the ratchet,
when the cam elevates the rod, forcing round the ratchet and winding
the fabric on the roll, at the same time elevating the compensator to its
former position, the ratchet being held by the stop pawl while the rod
descends to repeat the operation. By this means a number of fabrics
being woven in the same loom at the same time are operated inde-
pendently of each, and without the operator having to attend to the
winding of the fabrics. Moreover the compensator preserves a uniform
tension upon the fabric, and the said fabric is woven more evenly.
According to the third part of this Invention the warp being drawn
off the warp roll is passed over a pulley, thence under a pulley secured
in a frame, from which is suspended a weight at the back part of the
loom, and thence it is drawn upward and passed over other pulleys at
the top of the loom, and thence is brought downward and passed round
a rod through the harness and recd, and adjusted in the usual way for
weaving. Weights suspended from the aforesaid frame hold the warp at
its proper tension. A loose arm working on a shaft under the warp roll
is connected with the said frame by means of a slot in the arm working
on a pin in the frame, and passing through the said slot. A cord
attached to the arm is passed around a pulley connected to the warp
roll, and is provided with a weight. At the bottom of this weight and
connected to it is an arm or lever secured to a part of the framework
and operated by a cam. The advantages of this device for the let off
are that an even tension is obtained upon the warp, thus preventing it
from becoming slack, and as it works automatically it obviates the
necessity of letting off the warp by hand.

page_text: According to the fourth part of this Invention each harness is raised
by two connected levers that work upon separate shafts passing through
the centre of each lever and supported by bearers. Each lever is con-
nected with the harness by means of a cord or the like. Two hooks
each operated by reverse knives are attached to each of said levers,
and are passed through needles resting in a frame below the levers.
The said needles have each two elongated eyes for each hook to work
through, and a bow turned at one end, and a spiral spring at the other
to hold them in position. These needles are operated by a revolving
shaft or cylinder having cams at intervals. The said cylinder is operated
by a pawl attached to a lever acting on a ratchet connected to the
cylinder, the said lever being connected to another lever. A. double
hook is attached to the said lever and is operated by two knives
attached to each side of the frame. The knives are connected with
levers pressed downward alternately by revolving rollers. When one
knife is pressed downward the reverse knife is pressed upward. As
each knife is pressed downward the double hook forces round the
ratchet one tooth farther at each operation. At the same time cams
upon the cylinder act upon the needles through which the hooks pass,
forcing said hooks under the elevated knives. As the knives descend,
the said hooks act upon the levers above and raise the harness, and
as soon as the said hooks are relieved by the knives the harness is
allowed to drop to its former position. By having a longer cam to
operate upon the needles the harness may be raised a number of times
in succession.
According to the fifth part of my Invention I use two loose arms, one
on each side of the loom; each works on a stud at the top and has a
cam slot. The said arms are connected with the bed of the batten at
each end by connecting rods, while the cam slots are operated by rollers
working on studs in wheels on each end of one of the shafts. The
batten is operated by the said wheels as they revolve, thus imparting a
free, quick, and easy action to the batten.
Any of the aforesaid improvements may be applied to looms now