IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HARNESS MOTION FOR POWER LOOMS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough
Park, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HARNESS MOTION FOR POWER LOOMS."-A com.
munication from abroad by Erastus Brigham Bigelow, of Boston,
in the United States of America.
Sealed the 18th September 1869, and dated the 23rd July 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 23rd July 1869, pursuant to the
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HARNESS MOTION FOR POWER Looms," (communicated
to me from abroad by Erastus Brigham Bigelow, of Boston, in the United
States of America,) and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fonowing
statement thereof, that is to say
i
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improvements and such other parts
of a loom as are necessary to exemplify them; and Figure 2, a left-hand
end elevation thereof.
A part of the Invention relates to a mode of combining the latch
levers with the balance levers by a loose connection, whereby a continuous
rotary movement of the pattern surface is rendered practicable.
Another part relates to a mode of preventing the latch levers from
escaping unduly from the lifting bars, and another part relates to a mode
of vibrating the lifting bars.
The loom frame is marked a, and the lay shaft b. The leaves of
heddles or harnesses are marked c, and may be severally connected with
reciprocating jacks d by rods e and levers f, or by cords and pulleys
in the usual manner. The reciprocating jacks d are arranged vertically
side by side in a guide trough g, affixed to the loom frame, a top view
of which is given in Figure 6, and a view as seen when standing at the
end of the loom in Figure 5; they are shaped as represented in Figure 4,
and have flanges ½ on their sides of such thickness as to nearly fill the
guide trough when placed therein, as above described, sufficient play
however being given to allow them to move up and down freely as they
are required to do to operate the heddles with which they are con-
nected. They have arms i extending from them, to which latch levers j
are severally jointed, the latch levers being formed with a book on each
end and a cam-like projection k on their upper arms. The reciprocating
jacks d are operated by two horizontal lifting bars 1, which vibrate in
a vertical plane one above and the other below the arms i, and have
their axes m over the cloth forming line to make an even shed, as is
usual. They are made to open and close like a pair of shears by a
double-faced cam n on the lay shaft b acting on a four-armed lever o,
which oscillates on a stud p. Two of the arms of the four-armed lever
carry cam rollers q, one for each of the faces of the cam, whilst the other
two are connected by connecting rods r to their respective lifting bars 1.
The cam n may be varied in form according to the time it is desired to
have the shed remain open for the passage of the shuttle. When it is
not desired to have the shed remain open and at rest for a time for the
passage of the shuttle, a double crank may be substituted for the cam,
as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the lifting bars being represented in

page_text: gear may be easily engaged and disengaged therewith. When the
pattern surface revolves its cam-like projections x act upon similar
projections f¹ on the weighted arms of the balance levers, and by raising
them effect the required changes in the movement of the heddles. It
is important to note that the axis t of the balance levers is stationary
whilst the latch levers have an up-and-down movement, and that by
reason of the loose connection between the balance levers and the latch
levers the balance levers may be moved by the pattern surface to effect
their changes whilst the latch levers are engaged with the lifting bars,
and thus render a continuous movement of the pattern surface practicable.
Now suppose the cam-like projection of the latch levers to be either
above or below the cam surfaces of the balance levers, as will be the
case in weaving, and suppose also that the continuous movement of
the pattern surface has allowed the weighted arm of the balance levers
to descend and throw their cam surfaces v into the path of the cam-
like projections, it will be seen that the cam-like projections as
they approach their central position to close the shed will strike against
the cam surfaces and raise the weighted arms w and hold them in a
raised position until the lower hooks of the latch levers are set free
from the lower lifting bar, when they will descend and throw the upper
hook of the latch levers on to the upper lifting bar. It will be evident
from this description that when the cam-like projections k strike against
the cam surfaces the weighted arms w will tend to throw the lower
hooks of the latch levers off of their lifting bar before they have com-
pleted their movement. To prevent this, and also to prevent any of
the latch levers from escaping unduly from their lifting bars during
their vibrations, latch hooks g' are employed, which hook on to the ends
of the latch levers and hold the latch levers in position whilst they
are in action and are withdrawn whilst they are being shifted. The
latch hooks g' are carried by shafts h¹ which oscillate in stands c¹ affixed
to the lifting bars 7 before described. The latch hooks g' of the upper
lifting bar tends towards the latch levers by its own gravity, whilst
that of the lower lifting bar is drawn towards them by the coiled
spring on the shaft h', and when they are left free to do so they will
hook on to the ends of the latch levers and hold them in position. The
latch hooks are released to allow the latch levers to be shifted by arms k
on the shafts h', which when the lifting bars are about completing their
closing movement strike against stops projecting from the stand z
and turn the shafts h¹ far enough to release the latch hooks; then when

page_text: the lifting bars begin their opening movement the arms ¹ leave the
stops ', and allow the latch hooks to hook on to the ends of the latch
levers and hold them in position until they are released as before.
Having thus described the Invention, and pointed out some of the
modifications of which it is susceptible, without departing from its
distinguishing principles, what I claim as new therein and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is, the combination of mechanism herciu
described for governing the order in which the leaves of heddles are
raised and depressed to form the shed, consisting of a pattern surface
having a continuous rotary movement, latch levers which engage
interchangeably with lifting bars to form the shed, and balance levers
which transmit the governing action of the pattern surface to the latch
levers by contact therewith when their changes are effected and are
separated therefrom whilst the shed is formed, substantially as specified.
I also claim the method herein described of combining the balance
levers with the latch levers by a loose connection, whereby the latch
levers are in contact with the balance levers when they are shifted and
are separated from them whilst the shed is formed, substantially as
specified.
I also claim in combination with the latch levers latch hooks or their
equivalents for preventing an untimely escape of the latch levers from
the lifting bars, substantially as specified.
And I also claim the combination of mechanism herein described for
operating the lifting bars consisting of a double-faced cam or a double
crank producing two reciprocating motions in opposite directions and
two connecting rods by which the two reciprocating motions of the
double-faced cam or double crank are communicated to their respective
lifting bars, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-nine.