IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake; of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING."-A communication from abroad by George Crompton,
of the City and. County of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, United
States of America.
Sealed the 19th June 1866, and dated the 29th March 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at.
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th March 1866.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Con-
sulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," a communication, to be as follows:-
This 'Invention relates to the harness motion of looms for weaving-fancy
goods, and consists particularly in the means employed for effecting 'the
lifting, depression, and evening of the harness levers in the construction of the
metal loops connecting the harness frames to the heddle levers, and in the

page_text: manner of hanging the shaft which carries the levers operated upon by the
pattern cylinder.
Upon each end of one of the side frames or standards of the loom a bracket
extends, and in the two brackets is journalled a cross shaft, upon which are
mounted a series of vertical levers. From a metal loop attached to the top of
each of these levers a wire extends over a pulley on a cross shaft extending
over the loom frame, and from thence vertically down through the loom and
under a similar sheave or pulley to a similar metal loop attached to the lower
end of each lever. The harness frames are suspended by these wires between
the upper and lower series of sheaves, and through them the warp is drawn,
as is well understood. The upper ends of the brackets support a rocker shaft,
carrying just inside of its bearings double-armed levers, the upper arms of
which play in slots on the upper ends of curved arms, pivoted to a cross shaft
hung in the brackets just above and -parallel with the shaft on which the
heddle levers are supported. The rocker shaft is connected with and receives
motion from a crank on a rotary shaft connected with and driven by the crank
shaft which operates the lathe. The lower arms of the double-armed levers
play in slots in another set of curved arms hung on the same shaft with the
first named, one set extending up upon one side of the series of heddle levers,
and the other set upon the opposite side thereof. Extending across from arm
to arm of each set of slotted arms, and at the upper ends thereof is a clamp
bar, and when the shed is closed the adjacent faces of these two bars act as
jaws or clamps, securing all the heddle levèrs in line. The rotation of the
crank shaft will cause the rocker shaft and its double-armed levers to oscillate
and alternately effect the opening and closing of the clamping jaws or bars,
the closing of which will always with certainty bring the heddle levers all into
line, while their opening will allow each heddle lever to move in either
direction, accordingly as the harness to which each lever is connected is to be
raised or lowered to perfect 'the shed. Each heddle lever just below or nearly
in line with 'the clamping bars is mortised through, and upon a pin in each
mortise is hung a small catch lever, projecting through upon the opposite
sides of the heddle lever, swinging vertically, and having at each end a hook
or catch, the hook upon one end. latching over the outer edge of one clamp
bar, and the hook at the opposite end over the outer edge of the opposite bar,
one hook being out of connection with its bar when the other is latched to the
opposite bar. Each book has an arm connected with a weighted lever, which
is pivoted in a cross shaft, and rests by its gravity on the surface of the
pattern cylinder. In their normal position all the heddle levers are locked to
the inner clamp bar, by the inner hooks, and as the pattern cylinder rotates

page_text: the upper arms of all the levers which are not unhooked from the said bar
(which raising disengages the particular heddle lever from the bar) travel
towards the centre of the loom, and dépress the harness leaves connected.
therewith, while the disengaged levers are engaged with the opposite bars and
carry them in the opposite direction, thus perfecting the shed, the heddle
levers being all returned to their normal position, clamped in line, and hooked
to the inner bar at each oscillation of the double-armed lever. The pins in
the cylinder sometimes get loose, and projecting too far from the cylinder
break off by contact with the levers which operate the hooks, the extent of
motion of the levers being fixed; to obviate this the shaft which supports
the set of levers operated by the pins is mounted in boxes, which have a
capability of upward motion, they being held in their normal position by
springs, and yielding to the pressure of any cylinder pin which may project
too far from the cylinder. Each metal loop before alluded to slips into one of
a series of notches in the outer edge of the heddle lever to which it is applied,
and the opposite inner face of the loop has a horn extending from it, which is
beld against or closely up to the edge of the lever when the loom is in
operation, and prevents the loop from slipping from position, while by tipping
the loop it may be easily detached from the lever when necessary.