US1587903A - Weft-replenishing loom - Google Patents

Description

June 8 1926.

R. CROMPTON ET AL WEFT REPLENISHING LOOM Filed Jan. 27. 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 [nven tor.

Randolph Crompion. C6056 Crompion J r.

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. R. CROMPTON ET AL WEFT REPLENI SHI NG LOOM Filed Jan. 2'7. 1923 6 sheets-Sheet 2 June 8 1926. 1,587,903

R. CROMPTON T AL I WEFT REPLENISHING LOOM Attorney,

June 8 1926. 1,587,903

R. CROMPTON ET AL WEFT REPLENI SHING LOOM Filed Jan. 2'7, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 v in 2/ 621 0m;

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June 8 1926.

R. CROMPTON ET AL WEFT REPLENISHING LOOM Filed Jan. 27, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Znwn 2am:-

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R. CROMPTON ET AL WEFT REPLENISHING LOOM Filed Jan. 27, 192-3 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 zuawa/zow E mm a i;

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.llnne EANDDLPH CHUMFTUN AND GEORGE CROMPTQN', 318 011 WORCESTER, MASSAGHUQ'ETTld.

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WJEFT-REPLENIS'HING- TLQUM.

Application filed January 27, 1923. Serial No. 615,328.

Looms of this type are shown in our 00-.

pending application Serial No. 573,357, filed July 7, 1922, now Patent- No. 1,484,812, granted February 26, 1924, and in Patent No. 739,651, issued to Randolph Crompton on September 22, 1903. The present inven-. tion involves an improvement on such looms, in that the replenished shuttle is always picked away from the magazine end of the 100111 immediately after transfer, but without inserting this pick of filling in the goods, for no shed is formed for such. 'llhus we prevent the possibility of the lay moving to back center carrying a shuttle which has been replenished but not threaded, with the consequent danger of breakage of the fresh filling, and at the same time the pattern of the goods is maintained as set by the harness chain, for both the box motion chain and the harness chain are stopped for one pick.

The invention further provides means for segregating the weft threads to inactive shuttles from the thread to the outgoing weft carrier or bobbin, so that the latter thread maybe cut by the usual shuttle feeler thread cutter.

The above will all fully appear in the following.description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a loom embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in efid elevation looking at the battery side of the loom.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the horizontal box motion.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing one of the actuating devices appearing in Figs. 1 and 2, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the shuttle boxes at the magazine end of the loom, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the protective mechanism for the shuttleboxes.

Fig. 8 is a view of the actuating mechanism for the thread lifting devices.

Fig. 9 is aside view of the parts shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional View along the line 10-10 of Fig.

Fig. 11 is a-detail side view of thetemple adapted for use in connection with our loom.

Fig. 12 is a' plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view illustrat-' ing the various functions of the starting rod.

Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the loom.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary View showing a portion of the parts shown in Fig. 2 in side elevation.

' Like reference characters refer to like parts n the difierent figures.

Referring to Flgs. 1 and 2, the loom gen erally comprises a frame 1 upon which is pivotally supported a lay 2 by means of the lay swords 3. A plurality of shuttle boxes 4 are mounted at the left hand end of the lay 2, and are adapted. to be moved vertically in unison by means of a box rod 5 which is partly broken away. The boxes 4 are adapted to be raised and lowered in response to a suitable pattern, by mechanism shown in Patent No. 837,284 to which further reference will be made. A picker stick 6 is pivotally mounted for cooperation with the boxes 4 and is adapted to be driven in unison with a picker stick 7 mounted at the right hand end of the lay, by meansof any usual operating mechanism, not shown, as the pick- I opposite sides thereof, to which are secured flexible connections 12 and 13 which extend downwardly over pulleys 12 and 13" and are connected to theshuttlebox operating mechanism which is shown in the above mentioned Patent No. 837,284, and which will be hereinafter referred to. As best shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the shuttle box casting 9 is adapted to move back and forth on guide members 14 and 15, carried by the lay 2, the guide member 15 being supported by a bifurcated bracket .16, between the arms of which the picker stick 7 is adapted tomove. The guide members 14 and 15 are provided with grooves 14 and 15 respectively, within which are received tongues 17 and 18 provided' on opposite sides of the shuttle box casting 9, whereby the casting is slidably Qlt l tee llllt supported for movement in a substantially horizontal plane. 7 As best shownv in Figs. 1 and 2, a magazine 19 consistsof a plurality of cellsf20 arranged vertically in side by side relation, the number of cells being determined by the number of boxes at either end of the loom. For purposes of illustration, the cells 20 are here shown as being four in number, the loom being four by four, that is, having four shuttle boxes at each end of the lay.

The magazine 19 is similar in construction to the magazine shown and described in Patent No. 941,179, and each cell 20 is provided at its lower end with a device described in the above patent for supporting the filling carriers or bobbins 21 therein, until a carrier having the proper kind of filling thereon is released for insertion into the shuttle by a transfer-er 22. The movement of the transferer 22 is adapted to be controlled by the filling feeler mechanism of the loom through a suitable starting rod 23 extending across the loom in back of the breast beam, which is shown in 1 as being broken away.

We show at 24 the longitudinally movable rocking rod connected to the angle lever 25, which receives its motion from the box rod 5' at the opposite end of the loom, all as shown and described in the aforesaid Patent 941,17 9. The magazine mechanism, that is, the supporting pins for the bobbins, is or may be as shown in the aforesaid patent, and is omitted from our drawings for the sake of clearness.

The filling feeler mechanism which we choose to employ forms no part of our present invention, but is full shown and described in Patent No. 8 6,418. For this reason it is not believed necessary to show the details of the filling feeler mechanism herein, and for the sake of clearness we have shown only the operating member or starting rod 23 which is adapted to have imparted thereto a longitudinal movement upon the detection of substantial exhaustion of the filling in a shuttle which is about to be driven across the loom from one of the boxes 4 by means of the picker stick 6. It is ob-,

their occurrence.

Referring now to Fig. 4, there is shown an actuating device consistlng of a bracket 26 and an angle arm 27, adapted to turn on a stud 27 rue arm 27 has pivotally mounted thereon a tripping member 28, and the member 28' is provided with a weighted portion 29, excentric about its pivot pin 30, whereby the member 28 normally rests against the end-of a plunger 31 in a slightly inclined position. The plunger 31 is slidably supported in a bearing 32, carried by the bracket 26, and is connected at its end to a flexible member 33 passing around pulleys 33 to a lug 34 extending downwardly from the starting rod 23, see Fig. 1. In the normal position of the starting rod 23, that is, between the times that the rod is moved upon detection of filling absence, the

flexible member 33 tends to hold the plunger 31 in a retracted position, against the action of a spring 35, surrounding the plunger 31 between the bearing 32 and a collar 36. Com sequently the tripping member 28 remains in position against the plunger 31 so long as the starting rod 23 is not actuated.

As best shown in Fig. 2, a rocker arm 37, pivotally mounted at 38, is provided with an upwardly extending projection 39 carrying a roller 40 which runs in a groove 41,

provided on a cam 42, carried on the bottom shaft 43 of the loom. The other end of the arm 37 is provided with a reduced portion 44 having a knife edge 45 extending substantially parallel to a groove 46 provided on the member 28 below the weighted portion 29, see Fig. 4. Rotation of the bottom shaft- 43 is adapted to impart an oscillatory movement tg the rocker arm 37, so that the knife edge 45 moves up and down in a substantially vertical plane, just out of engagement with the tripping member 28. The parts remain in the position shown'so long as the flexible member 33 holds the plunger 31 retracted, but upon the detection of filling absence and the resulting movement of the starting rod 23, the plunger 31 is re leased and the spring 35 causes the plunger 31 to move to the right and turn the member 28 in a counter clockwise direction about its pivot pin 30. As the member 28 falls forward, the knife edge 45 engages in the groove 4.6 and raises the member 28 together with the arm 27, thereby moving the arm in a clockwise direction, see Fig. 1. The arm 27 pulls a cord 47 which runs over pulleys 48 up the loom side to a lever 49. Lever 49 is pivoted at 50 in an extended bearing and has a cam portion 51, which'when pulled up, is adapted to raise all the harness vibrators 52. The lifting of all the harness vibrators 52 is so timed that their gears 53 will be acted upon by the upper cylinder geain the well known fashion, and all th harness frames will be raised for one pick. Thus a movement of the starting rod 23 will raise all the warp threads of the loom for the following pick.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 15, the shaft 55 which drives the pattern chain 56 extends 1 across the end of the loom and is provided memos with a ratchet wheel, 57, the teeth of which are adapted to be engaged by a pawl member 58. The pawl member 58 is pivotally mounted at one end of a bell crank lever 59, mounted at 60, the other end of the lever 59 being connected by a rod 61 to a crank pin 62 carried on the crank shaft 63 of the loom. The turning of the crank shaft 63 is adapted to impart an oscillatory movement to the bell crank 59, which in turn is adapted to impart a ste'p-by-step rotative movement to the shaft 55 by the engagement of the pawl member 58 with the teeth of. the ratchet wheel 57. The pawl member 58 is connected by means of a flexible member 64 passing over pulleys 65 to a lug 66 on the starting rod 23, so that when the latteris moved, following the detection of filling absence, the pawl member 58 will be lifted out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 57, and thereby arrest moveinent'ot" The flexible the pattern chain shaft 55. member 6% is so connected to the starting rod 23, that the interruption in the turning of the pattern chain shaft 55 occurs upon the dropping of a filling carrier in the magazine 19, as previously described. so that the shuttle boxes 8 can not be shifted following the dropping of a filling carrier into position for transferal into a shuttle. It will be noted that the pattern chain shaft 55 above referred to, actuates the usual harness and box motion vibrators.

Again referring to Figs. 1 and 2, thestartmg rod 23 is supported at its right hand end, with its projecting end in alinement with an opening 67 provided in a member 68 carried on a rod 69, which has a vertically reciprocatory movement imparted thereto at intervals by means, not shown herein, but fully shown and described in U. '8. Patent No. 805,1.09. The meinber 68 extends upwardly and is' connected to apivotally mounted arm-70 by means of a pin? 1 working in a slot 72. The arm 70 extends downwardly and is pivotally connected to a lever 73 by means of a pin 74 acting in a slot 75.

The lever 73 is provided with a lug 7 6, which is in engagement with a downwardly extending portion of a latch member 77 p votally mounted on the transferer 22 by means of the pin 7 8. The latch member 77 tends to be maintained in a substantiallyhorizontal position by means of a spring 79, so that it is in the path of movement of a hunter 8() carried by the lay 2. The latch Y7 however, is adapted to be withdrawn from the path of movement of the hunter 80 each time that the rod 69 is moved downwardly, the lever 73 serving to turn the latch 77 in Y a clockwise direction about its pivot pin 78.

This occurs'each time the lay 2 moves for" ward during the operation of the loom, but

when the starting rod 23 is moved to the right, following the detection of absence of filling, the projecting end ofthe rod enters the opening 67 in the sleeve 68, and thereby prevents downward movement of the sleeve' .Consequently the latch 77 is not turned and locked'upon the first movement of the startiiig rod 2 5, the operation of the transferer 22 does not occur until the next forward movement of the lay, after the box motion has been thrown off and the harness frames raised, as previously described.

The starting rod 23 is further adapted to put into operation a mechanism to raise all the weft threads at the righthand end of the lay except {the thread from the active shuttle. Referring to Fig. 8, the lug 66 on the starting rod 23 is normally in the dotted line position, with the upper end of a lever 82 resting against it below apin 83. When the rod 23 is moved to the right it will carry with it the lever 82 which will pass between the pin 83 and the lug 66 into the full line- )osition. its best shown in Fi 9 the lever 82 is pivotally supported in bearings 84, between which is provided a cam portion 85, turnable with the lever 82. lZVhen the lever 82 is in the dotted line position of Fig. 8, the portion 85 is turned out of the path of movement of the roller 86, carried by a thread lifter 8T slidably mounted on the lay 2.' The top of the thread lifter 87 is nor mally flush with the racewayof the lay.

lVhen the rod @3 is moved to'the right, carrying with it the lever 82, the cam portion 85 is turned into a vertical plane, so that on the next backward movement of the lay the roller 86 and the lifter 87 will be raised into the dotted line position of Fig. 9, thereby lifting all threads running to the right hand boxes. The active shuttle will then run beneath the lifter 87 so that a thread cutter can cut the thread from the active shuttle without touching the lifted threads. In order to hold the thread litter 87 in its upper position, a spring pressed latch 88 is provided which engages a shout, dei- 89 provided for the lifter. When the lay moves forward, the latch 88 is disengaged from the shoulder 89 by the engage' ment of a knob 90 of the latch, with a hunter lllti ililtl the let back mechanism of the take-up that when it is pulled by the starting rod 23 it will raise the holding pawl, not shown, of the let back mechanism so as to interrupt the. movement of the take-up roll for one pick of the loom. This movement of operating the let back mechanism of the take-up is well known in the art and does not require further description herein.

The mechanism for operating the respective sets of boxes 4 and 8 is, as previously stated, best shown in Patent No. 837,284, but in order to make clear the relation of the above mentioned patented mechanism to the present invention, reference will be had to Figs. 1 and 2, in, which certain essential parts of the box motion are shown. Referring first to Fig. 1, the box rod 5 is received in a sleeve 5 to which is attached a flexible connection 95, and a second flexible connec tion 96 is connected to the sleeve 5 through levers 97. The connections 95 and 96 pass around pulleys 98 and across the loom to an equalizing lever 99. The lever 99 is adapted to have imparted thereto an oscillatory movement through a mechanism which is fully shownand described in the above mentioned Patent No. 887,284 and the connections 95 and 96 are connected to the upper and lower ends respectively of the lever 99, so that when the lever is; operated under the control of the pattern chain, the connection 95 is adapted to raise the box rod 5, while the connection 96 is adapted to lower it. the box motion being entirely positive in its action, as set forth in the above mentioned patent.

The connection 1:2, which is attached to the lug 10 on the horizontal shuttle box castin *9, is connected to the lower end of a second equalizing lever 100 through a cross lever 101, see Fig. 2, While the flexible connection 13, which is attached to the lug 11 of the horizontal shuttle box casting 9, is connected to the upper end of the lever 100. The motion of the second lever 100 being similar to that of the first lever 99, it isobvious that the flexible connec-tions'12 and 13 are adapted to shift the horizontal shuttle boxes 8 in opposite directions under control of the pattern chain. This pattern chain is mounted on the shaft 55, so that when the pawl 58 is raised to interrupt the rotation of the shaft 55, the box motion will be ar rested, as previously described.

In order to insure that the shuttle boxes 8 will always line up with the raceway, after being shifted, as just described, we have provided an automatic alining means, best shown in Figs. 5 and 8. The bottom of the shuttle box casting 9 is provided with a plurality oi downwardly extending lugs 102, which are on the back walls of the several shuttle boxes 8. A rod 103 is slidably moantedin bearings 10zton the backside of the lay, and is provided at its end with an alining' member 105 which extends up wardly in the direction of the shuttle box casting 9. The member 105 is provided with a pair of prongs 106 which are beveled in the direct-ion of the lugs 102, so that they are spaced apart at their ends by a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of a lug 10:2. Except at their ends, the distance between them is substantially equal to the thickness of a lug 102. A shifting arm 107, pivotally mounted on the lay at 108, is provided at its upper end with a forked portion 109, which embraces a pin 110 projecting from the rod 103. The lower end of the arm 107 is reduced, as indicated at 111, and is received in a slot- 112 provided in a track 113 projecting from the breast beam.

As the lay moves back and forth, the arm 107 has imparted thereto an oscillatory movement by reason of its connection to the track .113, which movement is translated into a reciprocatory movement of the rod 103-. The movement of the rod 103 is so timed that the alining member 105 moves to its right hand position just after the time for movement of the boxes, and just before the time for picking of the shuttle. Conversely the alining member moves to the left just after the time for receiving a shuttle, and just before movement of the boxes is to commence. In this way the shuttle boxes 8 are brought into exact alinement for reception of a shuttle or for rejection of the same.

' The outer guide member 15 is provided with a pair of binge lugs 11%, between which is pivotally mounted a U-shaped binder 115 having a slot 118. A spring 117 bears upon the free end of the binder to give the necessary binding action on the shuttles as they enter and leave the boxes. It will be noted that the binder 115 is hinged to the bracket member 15 and does not move sidewise with the shuttle boxes 8. The particular form of the binder 115 forms no part of the present invention, but is fully set forth and described in Patent No. 739,- 851.

As best shown in Fig. 7, a diagrammatic view, a protector finger 118 is adapted to cooperate with an extension 119 provided on the binder 115, so. that when a shuttle is driven home in one of the boxes 8, the movement of the binder 115 will cause the finger 118 to be turned in a counter clockwise direction and thereby move a dagger 12g downward into the position shown in th dotted lines. .111 case a shuttle is not reeeived in one of the boxes 8 the dagger 120 remains in the full line position, and on the next forward beat of the lay, operates to knock ed the loom.

We provide further, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, a special temple. This temple for-ms no part of our present invention, but forms the subject matter of Patent No. 1,574,415, granted February 23, 1926, to George Crompton, Jr. However, as said temple was invented particularly for the type of loom described herein, a brief description thereof is desirable The temple is made with a slot 121 running some distance back from the roller 122, so that the battery thread, i. e. the thread which is attached. to the battery thread holder 123, see Fig. 1.. may run back until it is cut, all other threads having by that time been woven into the goods bya repeat of the weave before reaching the cutter 124. The cutter. 124 is actu ated from the lay 2 in the well known manner, but there is provided an enlarged bunter 125 to actuate the arm 126 of the cutter. Fig. 11 shows the jaws 127 closed over the knife edge 128. The cutter 124, spring 129 and other actuating parts are set next to the goods behind the portion 130.

In order to make clear the sequence of operations of the several mechanisms de-. scribed, and their relation to each other in the operation of the loom, there is shown in Fig. 13 a diagrammatic view of the starting rod 23 removed from the loom, with the several flexible members and arms attached thereto and leading to the devices which they are adapted to respectively actuate.

With the general view of a loom shown in Fig. 1, and the diagrammatic view of Fig. 13 in mind, it is believed that the operation of the loom will be readily understood therefroin and it will now be described.

Let it first be assumed that the loom is operating with a number of shuttles equal to the number of vertical or horizontal shuttle boxes, and that the magazine is provided with the same number of varieties of filling carriers. As the loom operates, the filling feeler mechanism cooperating with the vertical set of shuttle boxes 4, functions in the same manner as described in Patent No. 876,418, previously referred to. Inasmuch as the operation of this feeler mechanism is fully set forth in the above mentioned patent, it is not believed necessary to burden the present application with a detailed description of this operation. Suffice it to say, for the purpose of the present invention, the filling feeler mechanism will not operate to shift the starting rod 23 until a shuttle in which the filling practically exhausted is ready to be pit ed to the right hand side of the'loo-m the backward movement of the lay.

Upon the movement of the starting rod 23, following the detection of filling absence, as described above, letit be orne in mind that a shuttle with substar ally exhausted filling is simultaneously ineving to the right hand side of the loom. Consequently when the shuttle arrives in one of the horizontal (Fix shuttle boxes 8, the movementof the starting rod 23 has already locked the sleeve 68 of the transfer mechanism in position, so that the latch will be tripped and the trans ferer 22 operated on the next forward beatof the lay. Before the transferer 22 is operated, however, the movement of the starting rod 23 has allowed the proper bobbin to drop as described in Patent No. 941,179, and the flexible member 33 has been released to raise all the harness frames, as described. The movement of the starting rod 23 also serves to exert a pull on the flexible member 64, thereby lifting the pawl and throwing off the box motion, and it also operates to raise the thread lifter as described.

It may be here stated that the motion of the bell crank lever is so timed that it is not adapted to move the pattern chain until after the time that the starting rod is adapted to be moved, in other words, the pattern chain is moved only when a shuttle is running and the boxes and harnesses are stationary, which arrangement is mostdesirable'in this type of loom.

, Following the above occurrence, the hunter on the lay engages the latch, thereby operating the transferer 22 and causing the fresh bobbin which has just been dropped .in the magazine, to be transferred to the exhausted shuttle. Just after the transfer occurs, the'shuttle', which now has a fresh bobbin, is picked back to the left, and since the boxes have not moved, the shuttle is threaded in the usual manner. But no pick of filling is inserted in the goods, for all the harness frames have been raised, and thus .the loom weaves according to the pattern chain, for the latter having been stopped for one pick, it follows that the wefting must be stopped for one pick in order that the design may be kept.

We do not show any device, such as a shuttle feeler, to stop the transfer in case the shuttle is not properly boxed, nor do we show any thread clamping and cutting device for severing the thread close to the shuttle, so that the shuttle eye may be cleared, as such devices are too well known .in the art to require description herein. The thread cutter for severing the old thread may operate in the usual manner, since we have shown mechanism to separate the. thread to be cut from the others; and thus we have provided means to overcome the only particular difiiculty not encountered in other weft replenishing looms. All the o erations described above having taken p ace, the loom now resumes normal opera tion until the feeler mechanism again detects filling exhaustion, whereupon the cycle of operations, as described above, will be re peated.

in order to make clear the cycle of operations just described, with reference to the occurrence of the various operations during curve representing increments of time, and

the vertical ordinates representing increments of movement of the lay between its extreme positions, so that the curve reaches each extreme position once during a complete revolution of the crank shaft. In considering the curve of Fig. 14- it is to be assumed that the loom has been operating normally up to the point A, when the filling feeler mechanism operates just before the lay reaches the centre-of its travel and the exhausted shuttle is picked from left to right. The starting rod 2? is therefore moved at the point A and sets in operation the several instrumentalities which bring absolute the results previously described, namel the transfer latch is held fast, a fresh obbin is dropped in the magazine, the pawl is lifted, the thread lifter cam is moved, and the vibrator'raising mechanism is set in motion. At B the shuttle with exhausted filling is picked to the right, and during the interval represented by C, the box motion ceases to function as the awl 58 has been lifted, and all the harness rames are raised. At D the transfer'22 is operated, and a fresh bobbin is thereby inserted in the shuttle. At E the shuttle is icked to the left under all the warp threa s and during the interval represented by F the box and harness motions are resumed. The loom has now resumed normal operation.

From the foregoing then, it is apparent that we have provided by our invention a loom emplo ing multiple shifting shuttle boxes at eac end thereof, and a magazine containing different kinds of filling from which any shuttle may be automatically replenished with the proper kind of filling.

It is obvious that we may employ any suitable or usual form of warp stop motion in our loom, although many automatic filling replenishing looms have been operated without warp stop motions. In addition, we can also apply to the transferring mechanism shown, any suitable or usual form of shuttle feeler, particularly as the latch mem ber of the transferring mechanism shown is held in operative position by spring means, and consequently a shuttle feeler could be employed to withdraw the latch.

,While we have chosen to illustrate our invention as being carried out by the use of certain specific devices, it is obvious that our invention is not limited to the use of such instrumentalities, but is susceptible of various modifications, and we desire therefore that only such limitations be imposed thereupon as may come within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim-' 1. In a pick and pick weft replenishing loom, the combination with a lay, shifting shuttle boxes at each end of said lay, and a weft changing mechanism adjacent the shuttle boxes at one end of said lay, of an operating member adapted to render the weft changing mechanism operative to effect a normal-sequence, thus immediately threading the replenished shuttle with new weft and weaving the goods according to the prearranged pattern.

2. In a pick and pick weft replenishing loom, the combination with a lay, picker sticks at each end of said lay actuated at each backward beat of said lay, shifting shuttle boxes at each end of said lay, and a weft changing mechanism adjacent the shuttle boxes at one end of said lay, of an operating member adapted to render the weft changing mechanism operative to-efi'ect a change of weft upon thepractical exhaustion of the weft in any of the shuttles, a box motion under the control of-said operating member, and a shedding mechanism also under the control of said operatin member, movement of said operating member to effect weft replenishment being adapted thereby to suspend said box motion during replenishment, and prevent the formation of a shed for the replenished shuttle as it is picked out of and away from the shuttle boxes adjacent the weft changing mechanism.

3. In a loom, a lay, a set of shifting shuttle boxes at each end thereof, a filling carrier magazine adjacent one set of shuttle boxes, shuttles in said last named set of boxes, filling'carricrs.in said shuttles, transferring means for effecting the insertion of afresh filling carrier from said magazine into any of said shuttles and ejecting the old filling carrier, a starting rod or other op-, erating member therefor, and means set in operation by said starting rod or other op erating member to segregate the thread from said old filling carrier from filling threads going to the other carriers in the shuttles in said last named set of boxes.

at. In a loom, a lay, a set of shifting shutcarrier magazine adjacent said set of shifting shuttle boxes, shuttles in said set of boxes, filling carriers in said shuttles, transferring means for efiecting the insertion of a freshfilling carrier from said magazine 5 into any of said shuttles and ejecting the old filling carrier, a starting rod or other operating member therefor, and'means set in 0peration by said starting rod or other operating member to segregate the thread from said old filling carrier from filling threads 10 r going to the other carriers in the shuttles in said set of boxes.

RANDOLPH CROMPTON. GEORGE CROMPTON, JR.

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