Improvements in Loom Dobbies.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Loom Dobbies.
I THOMAS JAMES CROSSLEY of Middleton Junction, near Oldham in the
County of Lancaster, Jacquard Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to that class of loom dobbies commonly known as
"Hattersley "dobbies, the objects of the invention being first to enable a single set
of feeler levers to be actuated by two chains of lags and pegs and two pattern
barrels, in order to weave cross borders; secondly to improve the mechanism
required to put one or other of the said chains into action automatically, so as to
be able to weave any reasonable length of fabric between the cross-borders;
thirdly to increase the strength of the pegs and lessen the number of feeler levers
required for dobbies of the "Hattersley "type; and fourthly to ensure the return
of the hooks and jacks after being moved by the draw bars.
In the first place I mount the feeler levers upon two spindles instead of one as
usual, and I slot the said levers in such a way that when actuated by a peg upon a
pattern barrel near the extremity of the lever it will rock upon a shaft or spindle
at about the centre of its length; I mount a second pattern barrel immediately
below this centrally placed shaft or spindle so that it can be brought into position
(when the first named barrel is removed out of action) to raise the feeler levers by
means of its pegs; the second shaft or spindle (which is about midway between
the first and the ends of the feeler levers which act upon the needles and hooks)
then becomes the fulcrum of the feeler levers. The two fulcra of these feeler
levers must be so situated with regard to the latter and each other that the pegs
on the two chains of lags can be of equal length.
The two pattern barrels may be carried on a pair of levers or a swinging frame
on a central pivot and moved by a spring handle held in one or other position by a
notched grooved bracket, but when it is desired to weave cross borders at certain
intervals on the fabric and to change the positions of the pattern barrels auto-
matically, I actuate the frame, or one of the side levers which carry the two
pattern barrels, by means of a lever pivotted to the frame of the dobby or to a
bracket thereon.
This last named lever is held by a suitable spring against a crank pin or pins or
equivalent device controlled by a ratchet wheel (having say four teeth) which is
preferably prevented from revolving too freely by a disc brake and adjustable
spring.
The ratchet wheel can however be turned (say one quarter of a revolution) by a
catch carried at the lower end of a lever oscillating on a fixed centre, and provided
at its upper end with a catch lever extending over the path of the upper draw-bar
and a second lever having at one end a finger upon which the said catch lever rests
and at the other end a short pivotted arm or support which rests upon a chain of
lags or its equivalent provided with a peg (or pegs at suitable distance or distances
apart) which at the required moment lifts this arm or support and lowers the catch
lever into gear with the draw bar, which pulls it forward and actuates the ratchet
thereby changing the position of the levers, or frame, which supports the pattern
barrels of the dobby.
The short arm or support is pivotted to its lever so that it can fall out of the

page_text: way of the peg as soon as the latter has moved after raising the said arm or support,
and so immediately let down the end of the lever which carries it, and raise the
end of the catch lever out of gear with the upper draw-bar.
A suitable barrel or pulley carries the chain of lags and peg or pegs (or their
equivalent) and this barrel or pulley is rotated intermittently and at the desired
intervals by a spur wheel gearing with a spur wheel on a cross shaft actuated by a
ratchet wheel and a catch carried by a special hook worked by the upper draw bar
and governed by a needle and feeler lever moved at the required moment by a peg
on one of the ordinary pattern chains of the dobby.
Thus for example by having one peg at the end of the pattern chain which
weaves the main part of the fabric, and one peg at the end of the pattern chain
which weaves the cross border, and one peg upon a chain of twenty lags or links
on the barrel or pulley which governs the notion of the ratchet which moves the
frame or levers carrying the pattern barrels above named, I can automatically put
in a cross border at the end of every twentieth repeat of the pattern chain which
weaves the main part of the fabric.
Sometimes I dispense with the barrel and chain for regulating the number of
repeats of the pattern barrel forming the main part of the fabric, and I hold the
catch lever upon the upper end of the lever which changes the barrels by means of
a cord or other connection worked by a measuring motion of any known construction
actuated by the sand roller of the loom so that on the desired length of fabric being
woven the catch lever will be dropped into position to be actuated by a catch
carried by the catch which is moved by the draw bar once for every repeat of the
pattern on either chain of lags.
In order to strengthen the pegs of the pattern chains, I reduce the number of
feeler levers in the dobby and I make each feeler broader than usual, and provide
it at one end with two projections or fingers, one for supporting and moving one of
the lower hooks, and the other for supporting and moving one of the needles which
work the upper hooks, and thus I reduce the number of the feelers by one half
and double the width and strength of the pegs on the lags. The hooks are cranked
or recessed to allow of the free action thereof above the needles and feelers.
Further, in order to ensure the return of the hooks and jack levers with the draw
bars, I form the hooks with a projection against which the back of the draw bar
will catch if the jack lever does not withdraw it and the hook and jack lever will
be carried back by the draw bar.
It will be evident that the broad feeler and peg and the special construction of
hook above described are applicable to dobbies other than those provided with a
cross border weaving mechanism.
Dated this 20th day of September 1895.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Loom Dobbies.
I THOMAS JAMES CROSSLEY, of Middleton Junction, near Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, Jacquard Machine Maker, 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 relates to that class of loom dobbies commonly known as
"Hattersley" dobbies, the objects of the invention being, first to enable a single
set of feeler levers to be actuated by two chains of lags and pegs and two pattern
barrels in order to weave cross borders; secondly to improve the mechanism
required to put one or other of the said chains into action automatically, so as to

page_text: be able to weave any reasonable length of fabric between the cross-borders;
thirdly to increase the strength of the pegs and lessen the number of feeler levers
required for dcbbies of the Hattersley "type; and fourthly to ensure the return
of the hooks and jacks after being moved by the draw bars.
My invention will be readily understood from the following description on
reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in
section of so much of a dobby as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2
shows a modification, and Figs. 3 and 4 detached parts hereafter more particularly
referred to.
In the first place I mount the feeler levers a upon two spindles a¹ and a³ instead
of one as usual, and I slot the said levers a in such a way that when actuated by a
peg + upon a pattern barrel b¹ near the extremity of the lever a it will rock upon
the shaft or spindle a' at about the centre of its length; I mount a second pattern
barrel immediately below this centrally placed shaft or spindle a' so that it can
be brought into position (when the first named barrel b¹ is removed out of action)
to raise the feeler levers a by means of its pegs 6++; the second shaft or
spindle a (which is about midway between the first and the ends of the feeler
levers a which act upon the needles and hooks d d) then becomes the fulcrun of
the feeler levers a. The two fulcra a¹ a² of these feeler levers a must be so
situated with regard to the latter and each other that the pegs b+ 6++ on the two
chains of lags B B can be of equal length.
The two pattern barrels 6' 63 may be carried on a pair of levers b or a swinging
frame on a central pivot x and moved by a spring handle similar to the lever k
shewn and described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 2447 of 1894, held in
one or other position by a notched grooved bracket, but when it is desired to weave
cross borders at certain intervals on the fabric and to change the positions of the
pattern barrels automatically, I actuate the frame, or one of the side levers b
which carry the two pattern barrels 616, by means of a lever e pivotted to the
frame of the dobby, or to a brucket f¹ thereon as shewn.
This last named lever e is held by a suitable spring el against a crank pin or
pins or equivalent device controlled by a ratchet wheele (having say four teeth)
which is preferably prevented from revolving too freely by a disc brake e* and
adjustable spring e, see detached sectional plan view Fig. 3.
The ratchet wheel can however be turned (say one quarter of a revolution) by
a catch e carried at the lower end of a lever es oscillating on a fixed centre e³ and
provided at its upper end with a catch lever el extending over the path of the upper
draw-bar g and a second lever el having at one end a finger e¹ upon which the
said catch lever el rests and at the other end a short pivotted arm or support e¹³
which rests upon a chain of lags B³, or its equivalent, provided with a peg y (or
pegs at suitable distance or distances apart) which at the required moment lifts
this arm or support e" and lowers the catch lever elo into gear with the draw bar g
which pulls it forward and actuates the ratchet e thereby changing the position of
the levers b or frame which supports the pattern barrels 6' 62 of the dobby.
The short arm or support es shown also detached at Fig. 14 is pivotted to its
lever so that it can fall out of the way of the peg y as soon as the latter has
moved again after raising the said arm or support e¹ and so immediately let down
the end of the lever el which carries it, and raise the end of the catch lever e¹0
out of gear with the upper draw-bar 9.
A suitable barrel or pulley carries the chain of lags B³ and peg y or pegs (or
their equivalent) and this barrel or pulley is rotated intermittently and at the
desired intervals by a spur wheel gearing with a spur wheel 6 on a cross shaft 6°
actuated by a ratchet wheel ' and a catch 68 carried by a special hook a¹ worked
by the upper draw bar 9 and governed by a needle and feeler lever moved at
the required moment by a peg on one of the ordinary pattern chains B¹ B² of
the dobby.
Thus for example by having one peg at the end of the pattern chain B¹ which
weaves the main part of the fabric, and one peg at the end of the pattern chain B³

page_text: which weaves the cross border, and one peg upon a chain of twenty lags or links B³
on the barrel or pulley 63 which governs the motion of the ratchet which moves
the frame b or levers carrying the pattern barrels above named, I can auto-
matically put in a cross border at the end of every twentieth repeat of the pattern
chain B which weaves the main part of the fabric.
Sometimes I dispense with the barrel 63 and chain B³ for regulating the number
of repeats of the pattern barrel B' forming the main part of the fabric (as seen at
Fig. 2) and I attach the catch lever e⁰ upon the upper end of the lever e which
changes the barrels ¹³ to a cord z or other connection worked by a measuring
motion of any known construction actuated by the sand roller of the loom so that
on the desired length of fabric being woven the catch lever e¹0 will be pulled down
or dropped into position to be actuated by a catch et carried by the catch or
hook di which is moved by the draw bar g once for every repeat of the pattern on
either chain of lags B or B2.
The ratchet wheel e in this case is acted on by the catch e and turns a spur
wheel which actuates a similar wheel ¹ of half the number of teeth and so moves
a disc and crank pin connected by a link to the lever e to raise or depress
the end of the said lever e as required.
In order to strengthen the pegs 6+ 6++ of the pattern chains, I reduce the
number of feeler levers a in the dobby and I make each feeler broader than usual,
and provide it at one end with two projections or fingers one a+ (see Fig. 1) for
supporting and moving one of the lower hooks d and the other a++ for supporting
and moving one of the needles c which work the corresponding hook, and thus
I reduce the number of the feelers a by one half and double the width and strength
of the pegs on the lags. Fig. 5 is a detached plan view of one of my improved
feelers. The hooks d d' are cranked or recessed to allow of the free action thereof
above the needles c and feelers a+. Further in order to ensure the return of the
hooks and jack levers with the draw bars, I sometimes form the hooks with a
projection (see detached view Fig. 4) against which the back of the draw bar g
will catch if the jack lever does not withdraw it and the hook and jack lever k
will be carried back by the draw bar g.
It will be evident that the broad feeler and peg and the special construction of
book above described are applicable to dobbies other than those provided with a
cross border weaving mechanism.
It will also be evident that the mechanism herein before described for auto-
matically putting one or other of the pattern barrels 662 and chains B1 B into
action may be applied to other loom dobbies with cross border mechanism provided
with a pair of pattern barrels and chains such for example as dobbies similar to
that described by my Patent before mentioned No. 2447 of 1894.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
1. The improvements in the cross border mechanism of loom dobbies substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 on the annexed drawings.
2. The improvements in the cross border mechanism of loom dobbies substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 2 on the annexed drawings.
3. The combination in a loom dobby of a pair of pattern barrels and pattern
chains for patterns with cross borders with a single set of feeler levers mounted
upon two spindles or fulcra and with means for putting either barrel into operation
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
4. The combination in a loom dobby of a pair of pattern barrels and pattern
chains for patterns with cross borders and a single set of feeler levers with a third
pattern barrel or roller and pattern chain or its equivalent for automatically
actuating the lever which puts either of the pair of pattern chains into action
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
5. A feeler lever for loom dobbies of the Hattersley type provided with two

page_text: projections or equivalent parts one for supporting one of the lower hooks of the
dobby and the other for supporting the needle of the corresponding upper hook
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
6. Hooks for loom dobbies of the Hattersley type provided with a projection
against which the back of the draw bars acts to ensure the return of the hooks
and jacks substantially as herein before described and illustrated.
Dated this 19th day of June 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.