IMPROVEMENTS IN HECKS OR MECHANISM, OR ARRANGEMENTS USED IN. WARPING YARNS OR THREADS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hilton Greaves, of Oldham, in the County of Lan-
caster, Cotton Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HECKS OR MECHANISM, OR ARRANGEMENTS USED IN. WARPING YARNS OR
THREADS."
Sealed the 22nd January 1861, and dated the 30th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hilton Greaves at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th July
1860.
I, HILTON GREAVES, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HECKS OR MECHANISM, OR ARRANGEMENTS USED IN WARPING YARNS OR
THREADS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in modifications of the common heck, so that the
threads passing through its " eyes "may be divided into sections of any required
number, as well as into divisions of alternate threads, as in the common heck.
I accomplish this by dividing the toothed bars in which the eyes of the ordinary
heck are secured into sections, containing the numbers of eyes required. in
such sections, and arrange them in guides to slide vertically, and actuate or
elevate and depress them as required by a double bar or plate made to slide
up and down, and having certain notches or projections, which are made to

page_text: engage or disengage as required with projections from the said sections by
moving the said double bar or plate endways, and by this means selecting those
eyes which require to be elevated. .Arrangements may also be added, which will
prevent those sections from lifting which are required to be kept down.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hilton Greaves in the Great Seal Patent Office on. the
25th January 1861.
•
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HILTON
GREAVES, of, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Hilton Greaves, Her special license that I, the said. Hilton Greaves,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Hilton Greaves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
term agree with, and no others, 'from time to time and at all times there-
after during the time therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for " IMPROVE
MENTS IN HECKS OR MECHANISM,. OR ARRANGEMENTS USED IN WARPING YARNS OR
THREADS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Hilton Greaves,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hilton Greaves, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists in modifications of the common "heck," so that the
threads passing through its eyes may be divided into sections of any required
number, as well as into divisions of alternate threads, as in the common heck:
I accomplish this by dividing the toothed bars in which the "eyes" of the

page_text: "
ordinary "heck" are secured into sections, containing the number of "eyes
required in such section, and arrange them in guides so as to slide vertically,
and actuate or elevate and depress them as required by a double bar or plate
made to slide up and down, and having certain notches or projections, which
are made to engage and disengage as required with projections from the said
sections by moving the said double bar or plate endways, by this means
selecting those eyes which require to be elevated. Arrangements may also be
added if required, which will prevent those sections from lifting which are
required to be kept down. By my improvements the heck, while answering
the same purpose as the common heck, will also facilitate that part of the
warping operation called "taking the half beer lease," which is generally per-
formed by hand, though I am aware this operation has been partly accom-
plished by arrangements placed in front of the rollers for dividing the threads
into beers or half beers, but the principal advantage which my improved heck
gives, is in enabling the warper to warp with "beers" or half beers large in.
number of threads, and then divide the "beers" or half beers at the end of the
warp only, and thus while the warp. is most suitably prepared for the subse-
quent sizing process, means are provided for readily removing the twist from
the beers or half beers, and laying the threads even in the process of beaming
for the loom.
My Invention is illustrated by the accompanying Sheet of Drawing; Fig. 1
is a front view of part of one end of my improved heck; Fig. 2 is a plan sec-
tional view of the same; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional elevation, and Fig. 4 is a
view of the end plate. The Drawings are intended to illustrate a "heck "in"
which the eyes can be lifted as in the ordinary heck, and in alternate divisions or
sections, containing eight eyes, two sections of eight eyes are shown formed of
four divisions. a is the stock part of the heck; b, a plate (fixed on the top of
the stock (a) having a series of holes in it, which come over corresponding
holes in the stock part; c, the ordinary top rail guide; d, the eyes screwed
in the ordinary manner into the toothed bars or sections c. Each toothed
section (e) has two guide wires (f) screwed into it as shewn, which pass
through the holes above mentioned in the plate (b,) and the stock part (a):
These wires (f) serve as guides to the up-and-down movement of the eyes.
On each side of the heck a bar g is arranged to slide endways and vertically
upon upright guides (h,) the parts (i) fixed to the parts g, forming the guide
or slide. These bars 9 have notches in and projections (9¹) from them as
shewn, which will engage and disengage, (according to the position of the
bars (g) with a projection (e') from each section (e). The bars (9)-are con-
nected with a part (9) upon which a coarse pitched screw thread is formed.

page_text: upon which a screw,nut. handle (93) is placed. This screw is formed. with two
flanges, and is fitted so as to slide up and down in a slot formed in the end
plate () as shown. The part that fits in the slot is square, and the screw
cannot be, turned when in that part of the slot in the plate (,) which is above
the position in which the screw (98), is shewn in the Drawings, where a
circular space is formed to allow, the screw to be turned. A spring (k) may
be screwed to the plate (5) and made to act upon. the,squares. formed in the
screw nut, (93) so as to keep, it from turning by accident, when down in the
position in which it is shown: The bars, (9) are mounted on the connecting
links, the lower ends of which links are jointed with the lever (m,) the
fulcrum (m²) of which is carried by bearings secured to the bottom or stock
part (a).
:
Of
course it will be understood that there are two or more sets of levers (m)
and links (,) according to the length of the heck, and these levers are con-
pected by means of arms (m³) and rod or rods (m³). One of the levers (m)
has a handle (m²) extending from it, which is made flexible sideways, so that
when pressed down to lift the bars g, it will catch upon a notch (¹) found in
the plate (j) the handle (m) being released from the notch when pushed to
one side... The manner in which the mechanism acts will now be readily
understood; suppose the handle (m*) be depressed, the projections (9') on one s
of the bars will catch under the projections (e¹) on one side of the heck and
lift them; thus, every alternate, eye will be lifted, then. if the handle (m²).be
allowed to rise, and the screw nut (9³) be turned a quarter of a revolution,
the projections on the bar (9) which caught the projections on the sections
will.now miss them, and those on the other bar (9) which missed will now
catch, consequently those eyes which were left down will now be lifted; if the
handle (m) be again released, and the screw nut (9) again turned another
quarter of a revolution, then the two sections (e) of four eyes each, which are
opposite each other, will be lifted, and the next two sections (e) will be left
down, and, on the next turn of the screw nut (9³,). the positions of the sections
(e) will be reversed, those which were down will be up, and those which were
..up. will be down.
.
may
be
Figure 5 is a plan sectional view showing another. arrangement which
substituted for the screw nut (93) for changing the position of the lifting bars.g.
The part j is a cap fixed to the stock part (a) of the heck; it has a series of 3
four grooves on each side corresponding to the. four positions of the lifting
bars 9. these grooves extend vertically upwards as high as the lifting bars are
raised,, but they terminate at the lower end just above the pins or projections p
from the sides of; the lifting bars when these bars are at their lowest position.

page_text: These pins p enter the grooves when the bars glare lifted, and by this means
the bars g are maintained in their correct position. A handle 9 is jointed to
the piece connecting the ends of the lifting bars, the under. side of which
handle is toothed to the same pitch as the guiding grooves for the pins or
projections p; and these teeth catch upon a projection (r) from the end of the
cap (). It is by this handle q that the lifting bars 9 are moved from one
position to another, the teeth in the handle keeping the lifting bars "from"
moving endways when they begin to ascend, the pins p entering the vertical
guiding grooves before.the teeth of the handle leave the projection r; and on
the descent of the lifting bars the teeth of the handle take hold of the pro-
jection r before the pins get below the guiding grooves. In the heck shewn
in the Drawing the eyes are supposed to be brought down when lifted by their.
own weight and that of the sections and guide wires, but it may be thought
desirable to reduce the weight, in which case the eyes might be accidently
lifted by the drag of the thread; and for this reason they might not descend
when the bars g were lowered. To provide against this the heck might be
made as illustrated by the section, Figure 6, two projections (e' and e*). being
formed upon each toothed section e, one at the top and the other at the bottom.
The bars g to be provided with a flange (g*) extending from one end to
the other, above the projections (e) on the sections e, which flange will bring
down every section which is lifted. Another notched bar n is added on each
side of the heck, provided with suitable notches and projections which will
engage and disengage with the projections e* from the lower part of the -
sections (e); these supplementary bars (n) are arranged so as to slide endways,
but so as not to lift, and are made to slide endways by being connected with
the bars g when down upon the stock part (a), so that when' the bars g are
moved endways the bars n will move with them. The notches and projections'
in the bars (n) are arranged so that when the projections (9¹) in the bars 9.
catch upon a section, those in the bars n will miss catching, and vice versa, by
which means those sections which are intended to be kept down will be
prevented from being accidentally lifted, and those which are lifted will be
brought down with certainty. It will be seen that sections of any required.
number of eyes may be arranged, and these may be lifted in any required order..
If required, each eye may be separately arranged to slide vertically; and
suitable projections may be made from them, either all coming on one side, or
the projections from one half of the eyes (each alternate eye) may be made to
come on one side, and those of the other half on the other side of the heck;
in this case the eyes may be lifted in any number, and in any order, limited.
only by the breadth of the projections from the eyes, space between the

page_text: projections from adjoining eyes, and the extent of end movement allowed to
the bars for each separate lift or division of the
eyes.
I have now described the best means with which I am acquainted for
carrying my Invention into effect, and I am aware that the object of my
Invention may be accomplished by other arrangements than those which I
have described, as the sections may be elevated by separate "lifts;" but what
I claim as my Invention is the dividing and arranging of the eyes of hecks so
that they may be lifted in the ordinary manner and in sections of any required
number of eyes, substantially as herein-before explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hilton Greaves, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
HILTON GREAVES. (L.S.)