In- PROVEMENTS IN HARNESS OPERATING MECHANISM 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 "In-
PROVEMENTS IN HARNESS OPERATING MECHANISM FOR POWER LOOMS."-A
communication from abroad by Erastus Brigham Bigelow, of Boston,
in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, in the United
States of America.
Sealed the 18th February 1870, and dated the 30th December 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 30th December 1869, pursuant to
the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN HARNESS OPERATING MECHANISM FOR POWER Looms," (that the same has
been communicated to me from abroad by Erastus Brigham Bigelow, of
Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, in the
United States of America,) and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: Fully to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to an arrangement and combination of
mechanism whereby a series of leaves of heddles of a power loom may
be operated in such manner as to produce varied patterns of cloth.
Of the accompanying Drawings which embody the Invention Figure 1
is a front elevation of the improvements and such other parts of a loom
as are necessary to exemplify them; Figure 2, a left-hand elevation
thereof; Figure 3, a scctional plan taken on the line A, B, in Figure 1
with the leaves of heddles removed; Figure 4, a rear elevation of a part
of the loom.
The loom frame is marked a, the lay shaft b, and the leaves of heddles c.
A series of heddle levers d (corresponding in number with the leaves of
heddles) are placed in a horizontal position below the leaves of heddles
and oscillate on a central axis e. Their inner ends are severally
connected with the lower edges of the leaves of heddles by rods f, and
their outer ends to the upper edges of said leaves of heddles by rods g
and cords h, the cords passing over grooved guide pulleys i as is
usual to change their direction of motion. In lieu of the cords à chains
or bands of steel or other metal or wires twisted together or otherwise
may be substituted. To the outer ends of the horizontal heddle levers d
latch levers are jointed, whereby power may be applied either to lift
or depress the leaves of heddles in conformity with any desired pattern.
The latch levers j are formed with hooks one on each end thereof (as
shown in detail in Figure 5), which engage interchangeably with lifting
bars k. The lifting bars k vibrate on studs and are actuated by a
double crank on the lay shaft 6 and the connecting rods m as is usual.
When they are closed they grasp the heddle levers, and by bringing
them to a central position (as represented in the Drawings) close the
shed of the warps, and when they are opened they lift or depress the
leaves of heddles according as the latch levers are tilted and form the
open shed. The upper arms of the latch levers are formed with cam
like projections n, which are acted on by similar projections on the
depending arms of a series of balance levers p which oscillate on a stud
and have weights r affixed to their upper ends. The cam like
projections n when unsupported act as weights to draw the upper hooks
of the latch levers away from the upper lifting bar and throw their
lower hooks under the lower lifting bar, and when they are acted on
g

page_text: by the projections o of the balance levers the weights r when unsupported
(being superior to the weight of the projections n) will push the upper
hooks of the latch levers over the upper lifting bar and withdraw
their lower hooks from the lower lifting bar. Now suppose all the pro-
jections n to be unsupported, the lower hooks of all the latch levers will
engage with the lower lifting bar and all the leaves of heddles will be raised;
then on the other hand suppose the weights r of all the balance levers
to be unsupported they will cause the upper hooks of all the latch levers
to engage with the upper lifting bar and all the leaves of heddles will be
depressed. To govern the action of the balance levers and determine
which of the leaves of heddles shall be raised and which depressed to
form the shed, a pattern surface formed on a cylinder or on a chain or
band carried by a cylinder is employed, which has cam like projections s
arranged upon its surface in accordance with the figure to be wrought.
It is carried by an axis t which turns in a long bearing projecting from
a stand u affixed to the loom frame, one end of the axis t being free to
facilitate the changing of the pattern surface. It has a continuous
rotary movement imparted to it by the lay shaft b through the action of
the worm v and gear w, and to enable the weaver to adjust the position
of the pattern surface relative to the other moving parts of the loom the
worm may be attached to the lay shaft by a clutch capable of being
disengaged when an adjustment is to be made. When the pattern-
surface revolves its cam like projections & act on similar projections & on.
the weighted ends of the balance levers and raise them.
From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the latch levers
acted on by the balance levers which are thus raised by the pattern
surface and supported when the lifting bars close the shed will engage.
with the lower lifting bars, and those acted on by the balance levers
which are not so raised and supported will engage with the upper
lifting bar, and that when the lifting bars are opened the leaves of
heddles will be raised or depressed accordingly. By thus shifting the
latch levers by the weights of the balance levers instead of the
positive action of the pattern surface, as is usual, the pattern surface
may act on the balance levers to effect its changes, whilst the latch
levers are engaged with the lifting bars, and its continuous rotary
movement thus becomes practicable. The loom is also thus made
capable of being turned backwards without changing the relation of the
pattern surface to its other moving parts. To prevent the unsupported

page_text: weights of the balance levers from throwing the lower hooks of their
latch levers off of the lower lifting bar when the projections n by their
closing movement strike against or rest upon the projections o, and also
to prevent an untimely escape of the latch levers from the lifting bars
during their vibration, latch hooks y are employed, which hook on to
the ends of the latch levers and hold them in position whilst they are
in action and are withdrawn when they are to be shifted. The latch
hooks y are carried by shafts which oscillate in stands a' affixed to the
lifting bars & before described. The latch hook of the upper lifting bar
tends towards the latch levers by its own gravity, while that of the
lower lifting bar is drawn towards them by a coiled spring 6³, and when
left free to do so they will respectively hook on to the ends of the latch
levers and hold them in position. To allow the latch levers to be
shifted the latch hooks are released by arms c', which when the lifting
bars are about completing their closing movement strike against stops d¹
on a stand e³ projecting from the loom frame and turn the shafts z
far enough to release the latch hooks. Then when the lifting bars
begin their opening movement the arms c¹ leave the stops and allow
the latch hooks to hooks on to the ends of the latch levers and hold
them in position until released as before..
A modified arrangement of the combination of mechanism above
described for operating a series of leaves of heddles is represented in
Figure 6. In this arrangement the horizontal heddle levers d to which
the latch levers ; are jointed, the lifting bars k by which the latch
levers are actuated, the balance levers p, and the continuously rotating
pattern surface which governs the action of the latch levers are placed
above the leaves of heddles c instead of below them as in the arrangement
first described.
Having described the Invention and pointed out some of the modifi-
cations of which it is susceptible without departing from its distinguish-
ing principles, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters
Patent is, combining with a series of leaves of heddles a corresponding
series of horizontal heddle levers, by which they are actuated when said
horizontal heddle levers are placed below said leaves of heddles and have
latch levers jointed to their outer ends, as herein described, whereby
power may be applied either to lift or depress the leaves of heddles,
substantially as specified.

page_text: And I also claim the combination of mechanism herein described for
operating a series of leaves of heddles consisting of a corresponding
series of horizontal heddle levers placed above or below the leaves of
heddles as herein specified, latch levers which engage with lifting bars
interchangeably according as the leaves of heddles are to be raised or
depressed a continuously rotating pattern surface and balance levers
which transmit the governing action of the continuously rotating pattern
surface to the lateh levers, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.s.)