Shedding Mechanism for Looms.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd June, 1894-Accepted, 18th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Shedding Mechanism for Looms.
We, EDMUND INGRAHAM, of 1747, Faulkrod Street, Frankford Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Loom Builder, and WILLIAM READING
HORN, of 4715, Penn Street, Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America, Salesman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Our invention relates especially to heddle or harness operating devices for what
are known as ",
"open shed" looms the object of our invention being to effect the
movement of the heddle frames without any severe strain on the operating devices,
to insure the locking of the heddle frames when the shed is open, so as to permit
the jacks to be readily shifted, and to provide for lifting the depressed heddle-frames
independently of the regular operating mechanism when it is desired to gain access
to the warp thread in the lower portion of the shed.
The heddle frames are connected by cords passing over pulleys, said cords being
connected to heddle levers mounted on the frame of the loom, and these heddle
levers being in the form of bell cranks, one arm of each lever being connected to
the upper cords of its corresponding heddle frame, and the other arm to the lower
cord of the same. Each heddle lever has on its lower arm an upwardly projecting
stud, the upper end of which carries an antifriction roller which is adapted to an
inclined slot in a slide guided in suitable transverse bearings on the frame of the
heddle operating mechanism, so that, as these slides are moved to and fro, their
inclined slots, acting on the antifriction rollers carried by the studs of the beddle
levers, will cause said heddle levers to vibrate upon the fulcrum shaft and will thus
raise and lower the heddle frames and the path in which the roller is forced to
travel by the action of the inclined slot will be curved, and will be almost at right
angles to the thrust imparted by the inclined portion of a slide by which means the
up and down thrusts upon the slide is lessened, as compared with a thrust directly
across the liue of movement of said slide.
At each end of inclined slot of each slide is an offset and when the slide is in
either of its extreme positions the antifriction roller on the stud of the heddle lever
occupies one of these offsets and the heddle frames are thereby effectually locked in
their extreme positions corresponding to the " open shed," the strain upon the
heddles having effect in moving the slides from the positions to which they have
been adjusted.
In order to provide for the effective guidance and lateral retention of the slides,
and yet permit said slides to be arranged closely together, the top and bottom
edges of the guiding portion of each slide are bevelled or V-shaped, and the guide
bars have like bevelled or V-shaped grooves for the reception of these bevelled
edges of the slides.
The movement of the slides to effect the rise and fall of the heddle frame
demanded by the required shedding of the warp, is derived from reciprocating bars,
which are carried by guide blocks the latter being connected by rods respectively
to the upper and lower arms of a three-armed lever hung to a transverse shaft,
the third arm of said lever being connected by a rod and link to a spur wheel
driven from any suitable part of the loom. Hung to each of the slides is a jack
which bas, ou its upper and lower edges, lugs facing in opposite directions and cach
of these jacks is under the control of a finger on a pivotted arm, which is acted
upon by the pins of a pattern chain, carried by a pattern drum, the intermittent
movement of the latter being effected by any suitable means, for instance, by means

page_text: ·
of a ratchet wheel on the drum shaft, acted upon by a pawl carried by an arm
hung to said shaft, and vibrated by the bar through the medium of a rod.
The movement of the heddle-frames from one position to the other being effected
by the slides, which, owing to their inclined slots, so act upon the heddle levers
that the movement of the latter is effected easily and smoothly and without shock
or jar apon the operating portions of the device, the heddle frames being finally
locked in their extreme positions, (that is to say with the open shed) owing to
the off-set ends of the inclined slots in the slides. On the backward movement
of the slides, the pattern chain is shifted and the jacks are raised and lowered in
accordance with the requirements of the pattern. In order to permit the upper
bar to yield against the pressure of the jacks from below, said bar has journals
which are free to turn in the guide blocks, the preponderance in weight being in
advance of the journals, so that the acting edge of the bar will fall into
engagement with the lugs of the jacks, as soon as said bar is fully retracted.
To prevent the links of the pattern chain from being carried around the
underside of the drum we mount adjacent to the latter, a deflecting shoe, which so
acts upon the depending portion of the chain, as to press its links out of the spaces
between the teeth of the drum. In order to effect the raising of the lower heddle
frames without corresponding movement of the reciprocating bar, when it becomes
necessary to raise the warps constituting the lower portion of the shed, so as to tie
up a broken thread, or for other purposes we mount at one side of the loom a
lever which carries a transverse bar which acts upon downwardly projecting lugs
upon the slides of all of the depressed heddle frames, so that on operating the lever
by hand, an outward movement of all of these slides can be effected independently
of the regular operating devices. It will be observed that the reciprocating bars
act only upon one side of the lugs of the jacks so that said lugs are free to move
away from the reciprocating bars when the slides are moved by the evener bar.
By so connecting the lever, the leverage for raising the beddle frames when
desired, is so increased that this operation may be easily performed. This is of
great importance, especially where the loom has a large number of heddles.
B.
Dated this 22nd day of September 1893.
FREDERIC PRINCE,
Agent for Applicants.
Shedding Mechanism for Looms.
We, EDMUND INGRAHAM, of 1747, Faulkrod Street, Loom Builder, and
WILLIAM READING HORN, of 4715, Penn Street, Salesman, both of Frankford,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
Our invention relates especially to heddle or harness operating devices for what
are known as "open shed" looms, the object of our invention being to effect the
movement of the heddle frames without any severe strain on the operating devices,
to insure the locking of the heddle frames when the shed is open, so as to permit
the jacks to be readily shifted, and to provide for lifting the depressed heddle
frames independently of the regular operating mechanism when it is desired to gain
access to a warp thread in the lower portion of the shed. These objects we
attain in the manner hereinafter set forth and claimed, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings in which :-
:-
Figure 1, is a transverse section, partly in elevation, of a loom provided with
beddle operating mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2, is an enlarged vertical sectional view of said heddle operating
mechanism.

page_text: Figures 3 and 4, are like views of parts of the mechanism in different positions.
Figure 5, is a transverse section on the line 1-2, Fig. 2.
A represents part of the frame of a loom, and B, B represent beddle frames to
which are connected cords a, a' passing over pulleys b, b, said cords being connected
to heddle levers D mounted on the frame of the loom, and these heddle levers being
in the form of bell cranks, one arm of each lever being connected to the upper
cords a of its corresponding heddle frame, and the other arm to the lower cord a
of the same. Each heddle lever has on its lower arm an upwardly projecting
stud d, the upper end of which carries an antifriction roller d', (see dotted lines
Fig. 2) which is adapted to an inclined slot in slide F guided in suitable trans-
verse bearings C on the frame of the heddle operating mechanism, so that, as these
slides are moved to and fro, their inclined slots, acting on the antifriction rollers.
carried by the studs d of the beddle levers, will cause said heddle levers to vibrate
upon the fulcrum shaft c, and will thus raise and lower the heddle frames R and
the path in which the roller is forced to travel by the action of the inclined slot
will be curved, and will be almost at right angles to the thrust imparted by the
inclined portion of the slide F; by which means the up and down thrusts upon the
slide F is lessened as compared with a thrust directly across the line of movement.
of said slide. At each end of the inclined slot of each slide F is an offset f¹, and
when the slide is in either of its extreme positions, the antifriction roller on the stud d
of the heddle lever occupies one of these off-sets and the heddle frames are thereby
effectually locked in their extreme positions corresponding to the "open shed," the
strain upon the heddles having no effect in moving the slides from the positions to
which they have been adjusted.
In order to provide for the effective guidance and lateral retention of the
slides F, and yet permit said slides to be arranged closely together, the top and
bottom edges of the guiding portion of each slide are bevelled or V-shaped, and the
guide bars C have like bevelled or V-shaped grooves for the reception of these
bevelled edges of the slides, as shown in Fig. 5.
The movement of the slides F to effect the rise and fall of the heddle frame.
demanded by the required shedding of the warp, is derived from reciprocating
bars G and H, which are carried by guide blocks g the latter being connected by
rods respectively to the upper and lower arms of a three armed lever I, hung to
a transverse shaft A', the third arın of said lever being connected by a rod ² and
link to a spur wheel driven from any suitable part of the loom. Hung to each
of the slides F is a jack J, which has, on its upper and lower edges, lugs i, facing
in opposite directions and each of these jacks J is under the control of a finger k
on a pivotted arm K, which is acted upon by the pins m of a pattern chain M,
carried by a pattern drum N, the intermittent movement of the latter being effected
by any suitable means, for instance by means of a ratchet wheel n on the drum.
shaft, acted upon by a pawl carried by an arm n' hung to said shaft, and vibrated
by tlie bar H through the medium of a rod 2, as shown in Fig. 2.
When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the bars G and H are at the
extremes of their rearward movement, and are about to move forward, that is to
say, the bar G is about to move to the right and the bar H to the left. The jacks
of the slides F of those heddle frames which are to be lifted have been raised so
that their lugs are in engagement with the bar g, while the jacks of the slides of
those heddle frames which are to be lowered, have been dropped so that their
lugs engage with the bar H, the jacks of the slides of those heddle frames which
are not to be raised being allowed to remain down, and the jacks of the slides
corresponding to the heddle frames which are not to be depressed being allowed to
remain up.
As the bars G and H move forward, corresponding movement is
imparted to those slides whose jacks are in engagement with the bars, as shown in
Fig. 3, the movement of the heddle frames from one position to the other being
effected by the slides, which, owing to their inclined slots, so act upon the heddle
levers, that the movement of the latter is effected easily and smoothly and without
shock or jar upon the operating portions of the device, the heddle frames being

page_text: finally locked in their extreme positions, (that is to say with the shed open) owing
to the off-set ends of the inclined slots in the slides. On the backward movement
of the slides G and H, the pattern chain is shifted and the jacks J are raised and
lowered in accordance with the requirements of the pattern. (See Fig. 4.) In order
to permit the upper bar G to yield against the pressure of the jacks from below,
the said bar has journals which are free to turn in the guide blocks 9 the prepon-
derance in weight being in advance of the journals, so that the acting edge of the
bar G will fall into engagement with the lugs i of the jacks, as soon as said bar
is fully retracted. To prevent the links of the pattern chain from being carried
around by the under side of the drum N we mount adjacent to the latter, a
reflecting shoe P, which so acts upon the depending portion of the chain, as to
press its links out of the spaces between the teeth of the drum, as shown in Fig. 2.
In order to effect the raising of the lower heddle frames without corresponding
movement of the reciprocating bar G, when it becomes necessary to raise the warps
constituting the lower portion of the shed, so as to tie up a broken thread, or for
other purposes, we mount at one side of the loom a lever S, as shown by dotted
lines in Fig. 2, this lever carrying a transverse bars which acts upon downwardly
projecting lugs t upon the slides F of all the depressed heddle frames, so that on
operating the lever S by hand, an outward movement of all of these slides can be
effected independently of the regular operating devices. It will be observed that
the reciprocating bars G and H act only upon one side of the lugs i, i of the
jacks J so that said lugs are free to move away from the reciprocating bars when the
slides are moved by the evener bar. By so connecting the levers S, the leverage
for raising the heddle frames when desired is so increased that this operation may
be easily performed. This is of a great importance, especially where the loom
has a large number of heddles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination of the heddle frames, bell crank levers each having one arm
connected to the top and the other arm to the bottom of its respective heddle
frame, a stud projecting from one arm of each bell crank lever and having an
antifriction roller at its outer end, slides each comprising horizontal end portions
and an inclined central portion with slot having offset ends for the reception of the
said antifriction roller, guides for the horizontal portions of said slides, jacks hung
to the slides and having lugs at top and bottom, upper and lower reciprocating bars
acting on said jacks, the upper bar being pivotted, and pattern mechanism for
controlling the engagement of the jacks with said bars, substantially as specified.
2. The combination of the heddle frames, the beddle levers, slides having inclined
slots and bevelled edges, upper and lower bars having bevelled notches for
receiving and guiding the bevelled edges of the slides, jacks hung to said slides,
reciprocating bars acting on said jacks, and pattern mechanism controlling the jacks,
substantially as specified.
3. The combination of the heddle frames, the heddle levers, slides having inclined
slots for receiving projections on said heddle levers, jacks hung to said slides, and
having projecting lugs reciprocating bars acting on one side only of said lugs,
pattern mechanism controlling said jacks, and a lever having a rod for acting upon
the slides of the depressed heddles independently of the ordinary reciprocating
mechanism, substantially as specified.
Dated this 22nd day of June 180.1
FREDERIC PRINCE,
37, Cursitor Street, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for Applicants.