Improvements in Braiding Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1899-Accepted, 29th July, 1899
.
Improvements in Braiding Machines.
We, THOMAS KERR OBER, of No. 1617, North Sixteenth Street, in the City of
Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Gentleman, ELLISON MUNROE COOPER,
of No. 1312, Chestnut Street, in said City of Philadelphia, Manufacturer, and
HARRY DAVOLT BEASTON, of No. 1405, Filbert Street, in said City of Philadelphia,
Merchant, 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:-
This invention is more particularly an improved machine for plaiting threads
drawn from bobbins revolving in opposite directions, in which special mechanisms
are employed for operating the bobbin carriers for one set of threads and for
guiding the other set of threads alternately above and below the said bobbin
carriers, in the serpentine courses required for plaiting or braiding. The primary
objects of the improvements are to obtain increased speed, to reduce wear, to avoid
irregular action, to simplify the construction of the bobbin carrying mechanism,
and to improve the thread guiding mechanism.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine embody-
a central
ing my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is
sectional elevation, illustrating the improvement; Fig. 4 is a sectional view,
in front elevation, of the race way, carrier and carrier operating mechanism;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view, at right angles to that shown in Fig. 4, illustrating
the race way, carrier and carrier operating mechanism; Fig. 6 is a sectional view,
in front elevation, of a modified form of carrier operating mechanism.
As illustrated in the drawings, the base 1, the standards 2 and the cross-har 3
form a suitable frame for the mechanism. This frame work supports a cylindrical
casing 4, which is separated into two sections on the line of the compound curve 5.
Its upper section is supported by the standards 2, and its lower section by the
spider 6 and the fixed column 7, the spider being secured to the column and the
column to the base.
A revoluble shaft 8, journalled in bearings 9 and 10, has a bevel-gear wheel 11
fixed on its inner end. The gear wheel 11 engages with a bevel-gear wheel 12,
fixed on the lower end of a revoluble, hollow shaft 13, which is journalled within
the hollow column 7, and with a bevel-gear wheel 14, fixed on the lower end of a
revoluble, hollow shaft 15, which is journalled upon the column 7.
A revoluble spider 16 is fixed upon the upper end of the shaft 13, the spider
supporting hangers 17 for the shafts 18, which are journalled therein. The inner
end of each shaft 18 has fixed thereon a gear wheel 19, which is engaged by a
circular gear track 20 fixed upon the stationary spider 6. The outer end of each
shaft 18 has fixed thereon a crank 21 whose pin 22 reciprocates within a yoke 23
on the lower end of a reciprocating pin 24. It will be understood that mechanical
variations in the form of the eccentric connection and of the operating mechanism
for the same, may be made.
Each pin 24 reciprocates through a guide way 25 in the spider 16 and thus
alternately engages and disengages with a corresponding aperture 26 in a
carrier 27. The pins 24 and their respective operating mechanisms are arranged

page_text: in pairs, so that while one is rising to engage the corresponding carrier the other
is falling to disengage with the carrier, the arrangement being such that each
carrier is always engaged by one of its two reciprocating pins.
As illustrated in Fig. 6, the respective pairs of pins 24 may be reciprocated by
rocking levers 24 pivoted to said pins and to a hanger 25'. This lever may be
rocked by the engagement of its yoke 231 with the pin 221 of the crank 211, the
crank being operated by the gear heretofore described.
The carriers 27 are mounted upon a circular sectional race way 28, supported
by the casing intermediate of the highest and lowest points of the serpentine
aperture 5, which divides the race way into sections located alternately above the
lowest and below the highest points of the compound curve, for the passage of
the threads from the lower bobbins 44. Each of the series of bobbins 29
is journalled between the arms 30 of its carrier and supplies threads through the
tension device 31 to the plaiting point 32. This special form of race way and
bobbin carrier are of well known construction.
A revoluble spider 33 is fixed upon the upper end of the journalled shaft 15,
the spider supporting the hangers 34 for the shafts 35 which are journalled therein.
The inner end of each shaft 35 has fixed thereon a gear wheel 36 which engages
with a circular gear track 37 fixed to the stationary spider 6. The outer end of
cach shaft 35 has fixed thereon a crank 38 whose pin 39 reciprocates within a
yoke 40 of a thread guide 41. Each thread guide 41 reciprocates in a guide
way 42, supported by an extension of an arm 43 which is carried by the revoluble
gear wheel 14. Each of the series of bobbins 44 is journalled between the
spider 33 and the corresponding arm 43, and supplies thread through its thread
guide 41, through the serpentine aperture 5, to the plaiting point 32. The
character of the eccentric and its operating mechanism, for the thread guides,
may be varied in mechanical details.
In the operation of the machine, the revolution of the shaft S and the gear
wheel 11 fixed thereon, revolves the gear wheels 12 and 14 in opposite directions,
thus revolving in opposite directions the spiders 16 and 33, connected with the
respective gear wheels 12 and 14 by the revoluble shafts 13 and 15. The revolu-
tion of the spider 16 carries the gear wheels 19 around the gear track 20, thus
revolving the shafts 18 and cranks 21 and reciprocating in opposite directions
the pius 24 of each pair, so that each carrier 27 is always engaged by one of its
pins and moved along the race way 28 in unison with the revolution of the
spider 16. The revolution of the spider 33 carries the gear wheels 36 around the
gear track 37, thus revolving the shafts 35 and cranks 38 and reciprocating the
thread guides 41, the reciprocations of the guides being timed so that their upper
ends rise and fall in a path parallel to the serpentine aperture 5 of compound
curve. The opposite reciprocations of the pins 24 are timed so that they are
drawn down alternately to pass the threads from the lower bobbins 44, when these
threads are being moved beneath the carriers by their guides. It will be observed
that the respective threads from the lover series of revolving hobbins are fed from
their guides at the elevations required for passing alternately above and below the
oppositely revolving carriers and bobbins, causing the two sets of threads passing
to the plaiting point to be interlaced, drawing threads from the bobbins at the
uniform rates required, without dragging them or requiring take-up devices, as
in machines heretofore employed.
Having more particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: -
1. In a braiding machine, a stationary gear track, a gear wheel revolved by said
gear track, a reciprocating pin, and eccentric mechanism operated by said gear
wheel for reciprocating said pin, in combination with a revoluble spider which
carries said mechanism, through which said pin reciprocates, substantially as
'specified.

page_text: 2. In a braiding machine, a fixed circular gear track, a journalled gear
wheel revoluble upon said track, a reciprocating pin revoluble with said gear
wheel, mechanism operated by said gear wheel for reciprocating said pin, and a
movable carrier alternately engaged and disengaged by said pin, substantially as
specified.
3. In a braiding machine, a fixed circular gear track, a pair of journalled gear
wheels revoluble upon said track, a pair of reciprocating pins revoluble with said.
gear wheels, eccentric mechanism connecting said gear wheels with said pins
whereby said pins are reciprocated oppositely, and a movable carrier alternately
engaged and disengaged by each of said pins, substantially as specified.
4. In a braiding machine, a journalled shaft, a spider fixed thereon, a journalled
gear wheel supported by said spider, a fixed circular gear track upon which said
gear wheel revolves, a movable carrier, a pair of oppositely reciprocating pins for
operating said carrier, mechanism operated by said gear wheel for reciprocating
one of said pins, and means for effecting the opposite reciprocation of the other
of said pins, substantially as specified.
5. In a braiding machine, a stationary gear track, a gear wheel revolved by
said gear track, a reciprocating thread guide, and mechanism operated by said
gear wheel for reciprocating said thread guide, in combination with a revoluble
spider which carries the said mechanism, and a bobbin carried by said
spider, substantially as specified.
6. In a braiding machine, a fixed circular gear track, a journalled gear wheel
revoluble upon said gear track, a reciprocating thread guide, ways for controlling
the movements of said thread guide, and mechanism operated by said gear wheel
for reciprocating said thread guide, substantially as specified.
7. In a braiding machine, a reciprocating thread guide and ways therefor, a
yoke in said guide, a journalled shaft, and a crank and pin connection between
said shaft and yoke, substantially as specified.
8. In a braiding machine, a "sectional race way, a bobbin carrier movable
thereon, a revoluble spider, a pair of alternately reciprocating pins passing
through said spider and engaging with said carrier, a yoke in each of said pins,
a crank and pin connection for each of said yokes, a shaft for revolving each of
said cranks, and means for revolving said shafts, substantially as specified.
9. In a braiding machine, a fixed circular gear track, a revoluble frame, a
series of gear wheels journalled in said frame and revoluble upon said gear track,
a series of pins arranged in pairs passing through said frame, mechanism con-
necting said gear wheels with said pins for reciprocating said pins, a series of
movable bobbin carriers each operated by a pair of said pins, a sectional race way
for said bobbin carriers, in combination with a second fixed circular gear track,
a second revoluble frame, a second series of gear wheels journalled in said second
frame and revoluble upon said second gear track, a series of reciprocating thread
guides, mechanism operated by each of said second series of gear wheels for
reciprocating each of said thread guides, and mechanism for revolving said frames
in opposite directions, substantially as specified.
THOMAS KERR OBER,
ELLISON MUNROE COOPER,
HARRY DAVOLT BEASTON,
W. P. Thompson & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents,
For the Applicants.