IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAIDING. MACHINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake,
31'
& Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAIDING. MACHINES Communicated to him from
abroad by Florenz L. Veerkamp, Charles, F. Leopold, and William Darker, all
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Machinists.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th July 1882.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London - "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAIDING MACHINES
[A communication to him from abroad by Florenz L. Veerkamp, Charles, F. Leopold,
and William Darker, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Machinists.]
:
This invention relates to improvements in rotary braiding machines, and consists
in certain mechanism hereinafter described whereby threads carried by two sets of
shuttles or bobbins caused to move in contrary directions in concentric annular
paths, but in different planes, may be plaited together so as to form a braid or cord,
or a covering for a central cord or wire.
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide a frame having, in its,
centre, a hollow cylindrical projection or upright tube, on the outside of which is
placed a revolving sleeve and through both sleeve and projection extends a tubular
shaft at the upper end of which is placed or secured a small disc for the purpose of
supporting the inner ends or stems of carriers, the outer ends of which rest edgewise
on the rim of a carrier-bearer. From the base of the machine arise two uprights
with a cross-arm to connect them and hold a take-up device. The machine is
driven by a main shaft having on its inner end a toothed wheel working into
suitable gear-wheels permanently secured to the revolving sleeve; and the inner
tubular shaft is operated by means of toothed gearing connecting it with the main
shaft.

page_text: The carrier-bearer is secured to the tubular shaft and consists of a flat round
metal plate, above which is placed a grooved ring supported by uprights from, and
carried around by, the rim of the spokes which sustain the lower bobbins. The
outer portion of the carriers revolve in the groove of the ring to which latter are
secured push-prongs, set at proper intervals for directing the course of the lower 5
threads up and over guide-arms and along and under the carriers alternately.
The guide-arms are sustained by a stationary rim which is supported from the
centre of the machine. To the revolving sleeve are secured spokes and a rim, the
spokes supporting the rods upon which the lower bobbins are placed; and tension-
springs pressing against the bobbins prevent them from delivering the thread too 1
freely as the bobbins move around. Other tension-springs secured to the outer
edge of the rim of the bobbin-holder, have each an eye at the extreme end through
which the thread from a lower bobbin passes and serves to hold the thread taut
on the guide-arms and take up any slack. Said threads, before reaching the eye of
the spring, pass under and sustain droppers which, when the lower thread breaks 1
or runs off the bobbin, fall and strike an arm on an upright rod which throws the
machine out of gear and stops its operation
The carrier-bearer has suitable recesses and abutments to keep the carriers a
proper distance from each other, and also a bar or rim to sustain them radially.
The bobbin-carriers are constructed with a vertical edge which moves in the 2
groove of the ring, a shield over which the lower thread passes alternately, a spring
to keep the bobbin in position, and a stopper-rod which radiates from the centre and
has its outer end supported through an opening in the vertical edge; the stopper-
rod on and near its inner end is provided with an eye through which the thread
from the bobbin passes; and when a thread breaks or runs off the bobbin the said 2
rod is set free, and by centrifugal force is thrown out sufficiently far to strike the
lower bevelled end of a bolt and elevate it enough to strike a latch on the upright
rod and stop the machine. This bolt is bevelled at its lower end and works freely
up and down in a suitable recess on the outer surface of the grooved ring. The
rod revolves loosely in a slot in the base of the machine and has affixed to it by a 3
set-screw a sleeve provided with a cam, which cam, when the upright rod is moved,
operates to unhook a rod connected with a lever, which, by means of a spring, shifts
the driving belt from the tight pulley to the loose one.
The upper bobbins which are made of any suitable metal are convex in shape to
give strength and aid in shedding the lower threads as the latter pass over and
under the carriers alternately; the heads of the bobbins are each spun with a sleeve
in the centre, one slipping over the other which forms the barrel, a suitable wooden
hub being inserted.
It is apparent that the number of upper and lower bobbins may be increased or
diminished, and that the construction and arrangement of many of the parts may
be varied without departing from the main features of the said invention. As the
movements of the upper and lower bobbins with their carriers and holders are
straight forward in circles on different planes, and not in irregular grooves or
zig zag courses as in former machines, the wear and tear of the parts is reduced to
a minimum, excessive friction is avoided, and the machine can be run at a high
velocity producing a greatly increased product in a given time as compared with
former machines.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th January 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAIDING MACHINES."
A communication to me from abroad by Florenz L. Veerkamp, Charles F. Leopold,
and William Darker, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Machinists,
:
This invention relates to improvements in rotary braiding machines (for making
the ordinary and well known cord braid) in which two sets of bobbins move in
contrary directions in concentric annular paths but in different planes. The said
invention comprises mechanism whereby I am enabled to dispense with many
features of former machines, and attain a greater speed in operation, thereby
producing a larger amount of work in a given time; mechanism which greatly
diminishes the liability to break threads; several novel features of construction,
more especially the carrier bearer for sustaining and conducting the carriers and
bobbins around the machine; the grooved ring in which the carriers move; the
guiding mechanism for directing the course of the threads and interlocking the
same and the tension mechanism for taking up slack thread; the devices for
stopping the operation of the machine when a thread breaks or runs off the
bobbins; and the peculiar construction of the bobbin-carriers; all as hereinafter
described.
According to this invention I dispense entirely with all known modes and
mechanism for supplying and guiding the threads, for moving the upper bobbins,
and for holding and revolving the lower bobbins, and so construct the machine as
to supply a large number of upper threads from bobbins supported in their carriers
or holders which are not in themselves movable, but are each and all held in a
single movable carrier-bearer, which consists of an annular plate secured to, and
revolved by, a central tubular shaft; the outer edges of the said bobbin-carriers
move in a groove formed in a ring placed directly above the carrier-bearer, the said
ring being supported and revolved by means of uprights secured to the rear of a
skeleton plate hereinafter described, which is attached to a revolving sleeve covering
the said tubular shaft; the arms of the said skeleton plate support the lower
bobbins, and to the rim thereof are secured tension-springs for the lower threads.
Another rim or stationary plate supported from the centre of the machine bolds
horizontal guide arms over which the lower threads are drawn and guided, by
means of push-prongs or thread-carrying guides secured to the rim of the grooved
ring above the carrier bearer. Thus the carrier-bearer is revolved in one direction
by means of the tubular shaft and the lower bobbin holder, while the grooved
ring and its thread-carrying guides, to which it is attached, are revolved in an
opposite direction by means of the revolving sleeve, both being operated by suitable
mechanism. The upper and lower threads are by these means crossed, interlocked,
and platted to form a central cord or braid, without any separate movement of each
shuttle or bobbin, or any separate movement of each thread guiding device; the
said shuttles and thread-carrying guides being stationary on the carrier bearer and
grooved ring respectively, the thread carrying guides alone being revolved or moved
and in the manner described, and which in connection with the fixed guide arms
above referred to, cause the lower threads to alternately pass over and under the
shuttles which supply the upper threads.

page_text: •
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed according to this invention,
some parts being removed for sake of clearness.
Figure 2 a sectional elevation of the same
Figure 3 is a top view or plan and
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are detail views of the upper bobbins and carriers
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
The frame-work of the machine comprises the base A having in its centre a
vertical hollow cylindrical projection or tube a on the outside of which is placed
a. revolving sleeve b. Through the said cylindrical projection extends a tubular 1
shaft B, at the upper end of which is secured a small disc C for the purpose of
supporting the inner ends or stems of the carriers c, the outer ends of which rest
edgewise on the rim of the carrier-bearer Ę in recesses e¹ made at suitable intervals
therein.
From the base of the machine arise two uprights F, F, with a cross-arm G. to. 1
connect them and carry the take-up device R
The machine is driven by a main shaft 2 having on its inner end a toothed
wheel 3, engaging with a toothed wheel 4 secured to the revolving sleeve b; and
a toothed wheel 5 secured to the inner tubular shaft B
The carrier-bearer E is secured to the tubular shaft B, and consists of an annular
metal plate, above which is placed a grooved ring L supported by uprights 6, which
project from, and are carried around by, the rim T attached to the spokes t which
sustain the lower bobbins.
:
The outer ends of the carriers c move in the groove of the ring L to which ring
are secured push-prongs d set at proper intervals, for directing the course of the
lower threads, up and over the guide arms m, and along, and under, the carriers
alternately. The grooved ring is slotted at 7 beside each push prong and into
these slots the threads slide to enable them to pass over the bobbin-carriers. The
lower threads are guided above and below the upper bobbin-carriers alternately by
means of the said stationary horizontal guide arms m (constructed as shown in
Figure 1,) secured on the periphery of an annular plate a¹, which is permanently
bolted to the hollow upright projection or tube a (see Figure 2); the said plate and
tube being immovable; each of the lower threads, all of which are held taut by
their respective tension springs N, hereinafter mentioned, presses against the lower
end of one of the guide arms m;and is thus enabled to pass under one of the bobbin
carriers c, after which it is carried by a push-prong d over the upper end of the
guide arm m into a slot 7 in the grooved ring L, and thus passes over the next
bobbin carrier, the operation being then repeated. To the revolving sleeve b is
secured an annular skeleton-plate having spokes t and a rim T, the spokes
supporting the spindles upon which the lower bobbins H are placed. Tension
springs h pressing against the bobbins prevent them from delivering the thread too
freely as the bobbins move around. Other tension-springs N which are secured to
the outer edge of the rim T of the bobbin holder, and have each an eye 8 at the
extreme end through which the thread from a lower bobbin passes, serve to hold
the threads taut on the guide-arms m and take up any slack. The said threads,
after passing through eyes 14, and before reaching the eyes 8 of the springs N pass
under, and sustain, droppers pp, which, when a lower thread breaks or runs off a
bobbin, fall and strike an arm or projection O on the upright rod K, thereby
throwing the machine out of gear and stopping its operation. The carrier bearer E,
has suitable recesses and abutments e' to keep the carriers ca proper distance from
each other, and also a bar or rim 9 (see Figure 2) to sustain them radially.
The bobbin-carriers c are constructed as shown in Figures and 6, with a
vertical edge u which moves in the groove in the ring L, a shield y over which
each one of the lower threads passes alternately, a tension spring v bearing against
the thread, and a stopper rod w which radiates from the centre and has its outer
end supported in an opening 10 (see Figures 3, 4 and 5) in the vertical edge u; the
stopper-rod w on and near its inner end is provided with an eye 13, through which

page_text: the thread from the bobbin passes; when a thread breaks or runs off the bobbin,
the said rod, which plays loosely in the hook 12 (see Figure 3), is set free, and by
centrifugal force is thrown out through the opening 10 as shown at 11 (Figures 3
and 5) sufficiently far to strike the lower bevelled end of the bolt r and elevate it
enough to hit the latch or projections on the upright rod K. (see Figures 1 and 2)
and stop the machine. This bolt r is bevelled at its lower end and works freely
up and down in a suitable recess on the outer surface of the grooved ring L. The
rod K. revolves loosely in a slot in the base of the machine, and has affixed to it
by a set screw, a sleeve, provided with a cam Y, which cam, when the rod K is
moved, operates to unhook the rod X connected with the lever Z, which, by means
of a spring X, shifts the driving belt from the tight pulley to the loose one
The upper bobbins W shown in Figures 4 and 7, which are made of any suitable
metal, are convex, to give strength and to aid in shedding the lower threads as the
latter pass over and under the carriers alternately; it is essential that they should
be substantially of the form shown; the two ends of the bobbins are each formed
with a sleeve in the centre, one slipping over the other and forming the barrel,,a
suitable wooden hub being inserted within the inner sleeve.
The operation of the machine is as follows, that is to say. Motion being imparted
to the driving shaft, the lower bobbin-holder with its bobbins moves in one
direction, and the carrier-bearer, with its carriers and bobbins, in the opposite
direction, both in concentric annular paths, but in different planes.
The threads from the lower bobbins are directed by the push-prongs along and
beneath the carriers, then up and along the guide arms, thus causing each of the
lower threads in its turn to pass over and under the upper bobbins alternately,
interlocking the threads and producing the braided fabric which is drawn up
through a suitable guide by the take-up device R located over the central disc.
It is obvious that the number of upper and lower bobbins may be increased or
diminished, and that the construction and arrangement of many of the parts may
be varied without departing from the nature of this invention.
In the improved machine herein described, the movements of the necessary parts
and the friction are reduced to a minimum (the thread carriers moving in direct
circles and not in irregular grooves or zigzag courses) excessive wear and tear are
thereby avoided, and the machine can therefore be run at a high velocity, producing
a greatly increased amount of work in a given time, as compared with former
machines.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The combination, in a braiding machine, of a set of upper bobbin-carriers,
a revolving carrier-bearer, devices for supporting a set of lower bobbins, mechanism
for revolving the carrier-bearer and lower bobbin-holder in opposite directions in
concentric annular paths but in different planes, stationary, or fixed, guides and
lower thread-carrying guides, and mechanism for supporting and moving the same,
whereby the threads from each of the lower bobbins are made to alternately cross
over and under the threads from each of the upper bobbins and are plaited to form
cord braid, substantially as set forth.
Second. The carrier-bearer E with its recesses, abutments, and rim, for holding
and carrying the bobbin-carriers c, in combination with the said bobbin-carriers
and mechanism for supporting and revolving the said carrier-bearer, arranged and
operating substantially as described.
Third. The grooved ring L and mechanism for revolving the same in an opposite
direction to the carrier-bearer E, in combination with the said carrier-bearer,
substantially as described.
Fourth. The stationary guide-arms m constructed and arranged as described,
with means for supporting the same, in combination with devices for supplying a
set of braiding threads, and with thread-carrying guides or push-prongs d, and
mechanism for supporting and moving the same, whereby the position and course

page_text: of the lower threads are regulated and directed, the whole being constructed and
arranged to operate substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The bobbin-carriers o, provided with a vertical edge u, a shield y, a tension
spring v, and a stopper-rod w, substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
Sixth. The combination of the upright rod K. having projections o and 8, the
cam Y, the rod X and belt-shifting mechanism, with the droppers p and bolt r, a
frame carrying the said droppers and bolt and adapted to supply one set of
braiding threads, a carrier adapted to supply a second set of threads, means for
rotating the said frame and carrier in opposite directions and crossing the threads,
and means for elevating the said bolt on the breakage of one of the upper braiding
threads carried by the said carrier, substantially as described.
Seventh. The tension-springs N constructed and arranged as described, in com-
'bination with a frame adapted to hold a set of lower bobbins and supply a set of
braiding threads, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Eleventh day of January in the year of Our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
17M PORT TAYO L