US2306286A - Convertible shifting shuttle box loom - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22-, 19 42. TURNER 2,306,286

CONVERTIBLE SHIF'I'ING SHUTTLE BOX LOOM Filed 001;. 7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INYENT'OR w 74 RncH'ARp GzTUR'NER AT TQPQNE Dec. 22, 1942. R. G. TVURNER 2,306,286

CONVERTIBLE SHIFTING SHUTTLE BOX LOOM Filed Oct; 7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 INVENTOR RmHARoGTuRNER Qua/( W AT'I'ORNEY Patented Dec. 22, 1942 UNITED STATES TENT OFiFlQE CONVERTIBLE SHIFTING SHUTTLE BOX LOOM Application October 7, 1941, Serial No. 413,985

14 Claims.

shifting shuttle boxes at the replenishing end of the loom.

Looms of the type to which my present invention relates employ a bobbin magazine over shuttle boxes shifting in a cycle or sequence which maintains one of the shuttl boxes inactive for at least one pick of the loom. When the weft detector is located at the magazine end of the -.loom it is customarily placed in front of the shuttle boxes to rise with the latter and detect on that beat of the loom which moves the shuttle box being detected from activ to inactive position when the lay is in the forward part of its motion. When indication of weft exhaustion is given by the detector the magazine is set for a transfer which is completed on the following forward beat of the lay.

The shuttle is not always correctly placed either for detection or transfer, but the detector will. operate satisfactorily throughout a wider rang of shuttle displacement than will the transfer mechanism. The shuttle is customarily provided with spring clips having grooves which receive the rings on the heads of the bobbins and the amount of displacement permissible at the time of transfer is consequently very limited. It is an important object of my present invention to provide means for placing the shuttle correctly for transfer subsequent to the detecting interval.

When the shuttle is boxed its outer point ordinarily protrudes into a cavity in the picker and the first part of the upward stroke of the shuttle box serves to cam the shuttle out of the picker cavity by a motion toward the center of the loom. This movement of the shuttle, however, cannot be relied upon to place it correctly for transfer due to variations in the'picker incident to wear in its use. It is desirable that the shuttle be at rest with respect to the lay during the weft detecting interval and it is a further object of my present invention to effect the camming of the shuttle by the picker prior to the start of the detecting interval, and eflect the second movement of the shuttle which places it correctly for transfer during the latter part of the box shift which occurs after completion of the detecting interval. This latter result I accomplish as set forth hereinafter by means of an inclined cam plate on the shuttle box guide located in the path of the shuttle tip and cooperating with the shuttle boxes in their upward shift to move the shuttle inwardly to proper transfer position. The inclined cam on the box guide, the upward motion of the shuttle boxes relatively to the lay, and the motion of the lay with respect to the rang of operation of the detector are so related that the inclined plate will not engage the shuttle until after the latter has moved rearwardly far enough to move a substantially empty shuttle away from the detector.

When a side slip weft detector is used it is desirable that its operation be free from interference by motion of the shuttle along the lay during the detecting interval, and it is a further and more specific object of my present invention to use the inclined cam in such position that it will not start motion of the shuttle along the lay until after the detector finger has had an opportunity to slip and complete its indicating stroke.

There has recently been developed a convertible loom which in one setting operates automatically pick and pick to efiect weft replenishment in the upper of a pair of shifting shuttle boxes under the magazine, and in another setting operates without the magazine to weave pick and pick non-automatically with a larger number of shuttle boxes at the magazine end of the loom. When the magazine operates automatically it is necessary to provide a thread holder for the weft ends which extend from the reserve bobbins and this holder is so located as to position the weft ends in a thread space above the shuttl boxes. The guide for the pair of shuttle boxes must therefore be located below this thread space when the loom operates automatically, but when the loom is operating pick and pick non-automatically it is desirable that a longer guide be used in order that the outer end of the shuttle boxes may be adequately supported when the boxe are in their highest position with respect to the lay. It is accordingly 2. further object of my present invention to provide a two-part box guide the lower part of which is permanently secured to the lay in position to guide both the pair of boxes r used for automatic replenishment and also the larger gang for non-automatic weaving, and attach the upper part to the lower part, or in some other way secure it to the lay, to provide support for the outer ends of the gang of four or more shuttle boxe which are used for non-automatic weaving. The lower part is below the thread space but the upper part must extend into this space in order to function properly.

Inasmuch as the placing of the shuttle in proper position for transfer is necessary when the loom is operating automatically it is a further object of my present invention to mount the previously mentioned inclined shuttle cam plate on th lower of the aforementioned parts so that it will not be removed when the upper part is disconnected to permit automatic weaving.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one end of a loom showing the weft replenishing mechanism in position for automatic operation of the loom, and

the upper part of the box guide removed butwith its position indicated in dotted lines,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the magazine shown in non-replenishing position and with a four-cell gang of shuttle boxes to be employed for non-automatic operation, showing both top and bottom parts of the box guide,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 1, showing the relation between a side slipping weft detector, the shuttle, and the box guide,

Fig. 4 is a group figure showing four successive positions of the shuttle with respect to the picker and the guide cam plate on the bottom part of the box guide,

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view indicating the relation between the detecting interval and the two intervals, one before and the other after the detecting interval, during which the shuttle is moved toward the center of the loom first by the picker and then by the placing action of the cam on the bottom box guide part,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged end elevation looking in the direction of arrow 6, Fig. 2,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the two parts of the box guide secured together, and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic View showing the relation of the lay and its driving crank shaft.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I have shown a lay L having a shuttle race R, a reserve bobbin magazine M having a frame I0, and a weft detector mechanism D. In the present instance I use a four-stack magazine provided with a foot II to rest on a support [2 secured to the loom frame. A transferrer arm I3 is pivoted on a stud l4 secured to the magazine frame and operates in the usual manner to transfer a reserve bobbin drawn from any of the stacks. The upper part of the magazine may be braced by a bar [5 secured to the arch l6 of the loom and having its outer or right end as viewed in Fig. 1 fastened to an upright H, the lower end of which may be secured in any approved manner to a part of the loom frame not shown. The reserve bobbins B in the magazine have extending from them a plurality of weft ends W which lead to a thread holder H mounted on the lower end of an arm 18 secured as at [9 to a tie rod 20 forming part of the magazine construction. Fig. 1 indicates that the weft ends are located above the lay and project outwardly from the right end of the magazine through a space designated generally at A.

When the loom is employed for automatic pick and pick replenishment it is provided with shuttle box gang C having upper and lower boxes or cells and 26, respectively, shown in Fig. 1, which are connected to a vertical rod 21 extending downwardly for attachment to box shifting mechanism not shown. The inner end of the gang C is provided with a tongue 30 which cooperates with a guide 3| secured to the lay behind the path of the shuttle to guide the inner ends of the shuttle boxes during their vertical motion. The outer end of the gang C is provided with a tongue 32 which cooperates with the part of a box guide G which is secured permanently to the lay and is to be described in detail hereinafter.

During normal operation of the loom the boxes 25 and 26 will rise when the lay is moving forwardly on one beat thereof during a shifting interval which starts when the lay has reached approximately the midpoint in its forward motion and ending when the lay has reached approximately the midpoint in its immediately following backward motion. The box shifting interval thus occurs during approximately onehalf of the loom beat while the lay is in the forward part of its motion. The boxes are then held in raised position until after the lay again moves forwardly.

The weft detector mechanism comprises a table 40 having a vertical stem 4| slidable in a guide 42 held by a support 43 which depends from the stud [4. A rod 44 connected to the stem 4| at its upper end and to some part moving with the gang C at its lower end, rises and falls with the shuttle boxes 25 and 26. A horizontal slide 45 mounted on the table 40 has pivoted thereto as at 46 a side slip detector finger 4'! offset to the right of the pivot 46 having reference to the length of the lay, see Fig. 3. The slide has a block 48 which engages an arm 49 extending upwardly from a shaft 50 rotatable in a stand 5| secured to the support 43. A second arm 52 on the shaft is attached at its upper end to a controller pin 53 which normally extends under an actuator lever 54 mounted on a vertically reciprocating head 55.

During the detecting and transferring operation of the loom a shuttle S will be in the upper shuttle box 25 and will have the front wall thereof provided with a slot through which the detector finger 41 passes as the lay moves forwardly. The slide 45 has secured thereto a rearwardly extending shuttle position detector 5| located to the right of the detector feeler 41 as shown in Fig. 3. The part 6| will enter the slot 60 if the shuttle is positioned for detecting, but if the shuttle has rebounded and occupies a position to the left of that shown in Fig. 3 the front wall of the shuttle will engage the shuttle feeler 6i and move the slide 45 and the detector finger 41 forwardly as the lay advances to prevent a detecting operation of the loom even though the weft in the shuttle be exhausted.

The finger 41 is aligned with the top shuttle box 25 and engages the weft in the shuttle S during rising motion of gang C to detect the condition of weft, moving forwardly without slipping when suflicient weft for continued weaving is present to cause the controller pin 53 to move from under the actuator lever 54. If, on the other hand, weft is substantially exhausted, the finger 4'! slides along the empty bobbin and the pin 53 remains under the actuator lever 54. This last condition operates by a well-known means to set the magazine for a transferring operation which is completed on the next forward beat of the lay.

When the loom is to be operated non-automatically it will be provided with a gang K of shuttle boxes shown in Fig. 2 having more cells than those which are used for automatic replenishment. In the present instance I show four vertically aligned shuttle boxes 69 which are actuated by a box rod I9 controlled by any approved form of box shifting mechanism. The magazine will be moved back to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 2, being held in part by a support II on the upright I! out of the path of the rising shuttle boxes. See Patent No. 2,102,864 to Verry. During the non-automatic operation of the loom the gang of boxes will from time to time reach its highest position and will extend upwardly into the thread space A as will be seen by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 2. The gang K has an inner tongue I3 to cooperate with the guide 3I and has an outer tongue 74 to cooperate with the guide G.

The shuttle is propelled by a picker I5 slidable along a spindle I6 mounted on the lay behind I the shuttle boxes by means of a picker stick TI. The lay end I8 which projects outwardly from the lay beam has secured thereto a block I9 within which is located a buffer 89 made either of cloth or leather to engage the picker head 8| which has contact with the tip 82 of the shuttle S. The buffer 89 serves effectively to limit outward motion of the picker head BI and cooperates with the picker to stop the shuttle in approximately its correct position at the end of The matter thus far described is of common construction and operates in usual manner. For a further description reference may be had to the Verry patent already mentioned and Ryon Patent No. 1,930,748, and my co-pending application Serial No. 403,326.

In carrying my invention into effect I form the guide G of upper and lower parts 99 and SI, respectively. The lower part is formed substantially as a fiat plate having a body 92 from which depends a narrow arm 93, A substantially straight edge 94 along one part of the body and arm is provided with a groove 95 to receive the tongues on the outer ends of the shuttle boxes already described. The upper part of the body 92 has a forwardly extending horizontal lug 96, while a vertical lateral guide web 91 may extend rearwardly from the arm 93 and have the upper end thereof bent inwardly to form a cam 99. The web 91 is cast integral with the lower part 9! and is positioned for engagement with the points of the shuttles in the shuttle boxes during the box shifting operation. A second cam :99 integral with the body 92 is similar to cam :98 but extends in the opposite direction.

The upper part 99 is provided with a fiat body 199 having a straight edge I9! provided with a :groove I92 similar to groove 95. The upper part is also provided with a forwardly projecting lug 193 which abuts the lug 96. Extendin rearwardly from the upper part 99 is a web I95 similar to and preferably in vertical alignment with the web 91. The webs 9! and I95 are preferably close 'to the corresponding straight grooved edges of their respective parts.

In the manufacture of the guide G the two parts are assembled in the position shown in Fig. '7 with their straight edges aligned and the abutting lugs 96 and I93 are then drilled as at I I9 after which bolts I I I, which fit closely in the 'drilled holes I19, are used to secure the upper and lower parts together in fixed position. The :grooves 95 and I92 are then cut by a single mashine operation so that these grooves will always align when the bolts III are in position. The lower part 9| is formed'to receive bolts I I5 which extend into the previously described block 19 to hold the lower part 9| permanently to the lay end I8.

As shown in full lines in Fig. 1 the lower part 9| of the guide G is sufiiciently long to afford adequate support for the outer end of the gang G having the shuttle boxes 25 and 26 and is located below the weft threads W and thread space A. When the magazine is operating automatically as indicated in Fig. l the upper part 99 is removed, the position which it occupies however when the loom operates non-automatically being indicated in dotted lines in that figure When the loom operates non-automatically as indicated in Fig. 2 the upper part 99 is bolted to the lower part M as already described with the grooves and I92 aligned to guide the tongue I9 of the gang K. When in position as shown in Figs. 2 and '7, the upper part 99 will necessarily extend into the space A occupied by the weft threads W.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 8 I have indicated diagrammatically certain relationships which occur in the practice of my invention. The top or crank shaft I29 of the loom turns in the direction of arrow :1 and has one complete rotation for each pick of the loom. The wrist pin I2I of the crank shaft is connected as at I22 to the rear end of a lay connector I23 the forward end of which is pivoted as at I24 to the lay end 18. As the crank shaft rotates therefore the lay and the shuttle boxes will reciprocate backwardly and forwardly, the shuttle being in flight while the lay is in the rear part of its motion and-boxed while the lay is in the front part of its motion during shifting of the boxes.

Fig. 8 indicates diagrammatically the position of the Wrist pin I2I with respect to the crank shaft I29 when the shuttle is boxed shortly after the lay reaches so-called bottom center. The box shift starts immediately, that is, when the wrist is in the position indicated at b in Fig. 5. At the start of the shift the shuttle tip will ordinarily be in a cavity formed in the picker head BI and the latter will be in its outermost position as indicated in position I, Fig. 4. As the lay continues to move forwardly the shuttle boxes will rise and cause the shuttle to be shifted to the left from the position I to II, Fig. 4. By this time the crank shaft wrist will have reached the position 0, Fig. 5, and the shuttle will be temporarily at rest with respect to the shuttle .7 box and the lay and a slight further forward motion will cause the detector finger 41 to engage the bobbin in the shuttle. Later inthe upward motion of the shuttle boxes after the lay has moved rearwardly far enough to draw the bobbin away from the detector, the point of the shuttle will engage the inclined cam 99 when the crank shaft wrist is in some such position as indicated at d, Fig. 5, and as the upward motion of the shuttle boxes is completed the shuttle will again be moved to the left from position III to IV, Fig. 5. By this time the shuttle will have been moved inwardly to proper position for transfer.

From Figs. 4 and 5 it will therefore be seen that the box shifting interval occurs during the latter part of the forward motion of the lay and the first part of the immediately following rearward motion and extends over a period represented by the angular distance between lines I) and c, Fig. 5, It will also be seen that there is an initial shuttle positioning action due to the picker in the interval between lines I) and c, after which a detecting interval occurs between the lines and d during which the shuttle is stationary with respect to the lay so that the detector can operate satisfactorily. At the conclusion of the detecting interval the shuttle will again be given a postioning movement which locates it correctly for transfer during the interval between lines d, and e. The size of the cavity in the picker will of course increase with age and there will be some consequent variation in the location of the line 0, Fig. 5, but the general relationship of the detecting interval with respect to the box shifting period and the positioning motions of the shuttle will 'be approximately as already described.

The detecting interval occurs between positions .11 and III, Fig. 4 and at a time when the shuttle is stationary. The second or final shuttle positioning operation occurs between positions III and IV, Fig. 4, and is effected by the lower part 9| of the guide G. The vertical extension |30 of cam plate 99 holds the shuttle in proper position for transfer during the backward and subsequent forward motion of the lay.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an improved box guide for the shuttle boxes of a loom capable of operating pick and pick either automatically or non-automatically. It will also be seen that the guide G is formed in two parts the upper of which is used for nonautomatic operation but is removed when the loom operates for automatic weft replenishment. The lower part of the guide which is permanent- 1y fastened to the lay is always below the thread space A, while the upper part extends into this space when used. It will further be noted that the lower part of the box guide is provided with the cam 99 which assists in positioning the shuttle properly for transfer near the end of the upward shift of the shuttle boxes, and that this cam operates after the detecting interval. While the thickness of the yarn wound on the bobbin will make some variation as in the time of engagement between the finger i! and the bobbin, yet little harm will be done if there is a slight motion of the shuttle during detection of a full bobbin. The relationships described are of more particular significance when a small amount only of yarn remains on the bobbin and indication of weft exhaustion is imminent. The two shuttle positioning intervals separated by a detecting interval, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, are of particular value in the automatic operation of the loom.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit and'scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a weft replenishing loom having a backwardly and forwardly reciprocating lay and having shifting shuttle boxes, shifting means to raise the shuttle boxes during a shifting period occurring in one reciprocation of the lay when the latter is in the forward part of its motion and hold said shuttle boxes raised until after the forward motion in the next reciprocation of the lay, a weft detector in front of the shuttle boxes mounted to rise as the boxes rise and detect the condition of weft in the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during an interval beginning after the start of and finishing prior to the end of the shifting period, a weft replenishing mechanism operative to transfer a reserve bobbin into the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during the forward motion of the lay occurring in said next reciprocation of the lay after said detector has indicated weft exhaustion during the preceding detecting interval, and means fixed with respect to the lay and located in the path of the shuttle in the upper shuttle box to engage said shuttle subsequent to the detecting interval and prior to the end of the box shifting period and cooperate with said shifting means to move said shuttle into proper position for transfer with respect to the replenishing mechanism if said shuttle is displaced too far outwardly toward the adjacent end of the lay for proper bobbin transfer at the end of the detecting interval.

2. In a weft replenishing loom having a backwardly and forwardly reciprocating lay and having shifting shuttle boxes which rise relatively to the lay during a shifting period occurring when the lay is in the forward part of its first reciprocation and remaining in raised position until after the forward motion in the second reciprocation of the lay, a weft detector in front of the shuttle boxes mounted to rise as the boxes rise and detect the condition of weft in the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during a detecting interval occurring within the shifting period and beginning in the latter part of the forward motion in the first reciprocation of the lay and ending during the first part of the succeeding backward motion of the lay, a weft replenishing mechanism operative to insert a reserve bobbin into the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during the forward motion of the second reciprocation of the lay after said detector has indicated weft exhaustion during the immediately preceding detecting interval, a shuttle box guide fixed to the lay and along which the shuttle boxes slide, and a cam on the shuttle box guide located to engage said shuttle in the upper shuttle box during that part of the shifting period subsequent to the detecting interval to move the shuttle into proper ztransfer position with respect to the replenishing mechanism should the shuttle be displaced too far toward the adjacent end of the lay for a .proper transfer.

3. In a weft replenishing loom having a back- .wardly and forwardly reciprocating lay and having shifting shuttle boxes, shifting means to raise the shuttle boxes during a shifting period occurring in one reciprocation of the lay when the latter is in .the forward part of its motion and hold the shuttle boxes in raised position until after the following'forward motion in the next "reciprocation of the lay, a weft detector in front of the shuttle boxes mounted to rise as the boxes rise and detect the condition of weft in the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during an interval beginning after the start of and finishing prior to the end of the shifting period, a weft replenishing mechanism operative to insert a reserve bobbin into the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during the forward motion of the lay occurring in said next reciprocation'of the lay after said detector has indicated weft exhaustion during the preceding detecting interval, a box guide fixed with respect to the lay and along which the shuttle boxes slide when raised by said shifting means, and a cam fixed to the shuttle guide and per shuttle box when the latter rises and positioned to engage said shuttle at a time subsequent to the detecting interval and prior to the end of the box shifting period if the shuttle is located too near the adjacent end of the lay for proper transfer and cooperate with said shifting means to move said shuttle inwardly to proper transfer relation with respect to the replenishing mechanism.

4. In a weft replenishing loom having a backwardly and forwardly reciprocating lay provided with a gang of shuttle boxes which rise during a shifting period starting while the lay first moves forwardly and ending during the following backward motion of the lay, said shuttle boxes to remain raised until after the next forward motion of the lay, a weft detector mounted in front of and rising as the boxes rise to detect the condition of weft of the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during a detecting interval which starts subsequent to the beginnim; of said shifting period and ends prior to the ending of said shifting period, a weft replenishing mechanism controlled by the detector when the latter indicates exhaustion of weft in said shuttle during a detecting interval to insert a reserve bobbin into said shuttle during the next forward motion of the lay, a box guide fixed to the lay and along which the shuttle boxes slide upwardly during said shifting interval, and'a cam fixed to said guide and inclined upwardly and away from the adjacent end of the lay and located in the path of the shuttle should the latter be too near the adjacent end of the lay for proper transfer, said cam to engage and move the shuttle to proper transfer position with respect to the replenishing mechanism during that part of the box shifting interval subsequent to the detecting interval.

5. In a weft replenishing loom having a backwardly and forwardly reciprocating lay and having shifting shuttle boxes, shifting means to raise the shuttle boxes during a shifting period occurring in one reciprocation of the lay when the latter is in the forward part of its motion and hold the shuttle boxes in raised position until after the following forward motion of the lay in the next reciprocation thereof, a weft detector in front of the shuttle boxes mounted to rise as the boxes rise and detect the condition of weft in the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during a detecting interval beginning after the start of and finishing prior to the end of the shifting period,

a weft replenishing mechanism operative to insert a reserve bobbin into the shuttle in the upper shuttle box during the forward motion of the lay occurring in said next reciprocation of the lay after said detector has indicated weft exhaustion during the preceding detecting interval, and means on the lay to be above the outer end of the shuttle in the upper shuttle box at the beginning of the box shifting period, provided the shuttle is too near the adjacent end of the lay for proper transfer relation with respect to the replenishing mechanism, to engage the shuttle at a time subsequent to the conclusion of the detecting interval and prior to the end of the box shifting period to cooperate with said shifting means and move the shuttle away from the adjacent end of the lay and into proper transfer position with respect to the replenishing mechanism.

6. In a weft replenishing loom having a backwardly and forwardly reciprocating lay provided with a gang of shuttle boxes which shift upwardly during a period starting while the lay is first moving forwardly and ending during the following backward motion of the lay, the shuttle boxes thereafter remaining raised until after the lay completes its second forward motion, a weft detector mounted in front of and rising as the upper shuttle box rises and having a side slipping detector finger to detect the condition of weft in the shuttle in said upper shuttle box during a detecting interval which starts subsequent to the beginning of said shifting period and ends prior to the ending of said shifting period, said finger moving toward the adjacent end of the lay when indicating weft exhaustion in said shuttle, a weft replenishing, mechanism controlled by the detector finger when the latter moves toward said end of the lay during the detecting interval to insert a reserve bobbin into said shuttle on the second forward motion of the lay, and means on the lay extending over a portion of the shuttl if the latter is too near the adjacent end of the lay for proper transfer to engage the shuttle at a time in the loom operation between the endings of said interval and said period and cooperate with the rising shuttle to move the latter in a direction away from the adjacent end of the lay and into proper transfer relation with respect to the replenishing mechanism.

'7. In a loom having a lay and operating either with a reserve bobbin magazine and a vertically shifting shuttle box on the lay under a thread space occupied by weft threads extending from the magazine over the shuttle box when the loom is weaving automatically, or without the magazine and with a gang of shuttle boxes on the lay shiftable upwardly into said thread space when the loom is weaving pick and pick non-automatically, a shuttle box guide comprising separate upper and lower parts, means to secure the lower part only to the lay under said thread space in position to guide said shifting shuttle box when the loom is weaving automatically, and means to secure the upper part in fixed position with respect to the lay to extend into said thread space and assist the lower part in guiding said gang of shuttle boxes when the loom operates nonautomatically.

8. In a loom having a lay and operating either automatically with a vertically shifting shuttle box for weft replenishment from a reserve bobbin magazine from which weft ends extend in a thread space over said shuttle box, or with a gang of shuttle boxes on the lay shiftable upwardly into said thread space for non-automatic weft replenishing pick and pick weaving without the magazine and weft threads, both said shuttle box and gang of shuttle boxes having guide tongues, a shuttle box guide having upper and lower parts each provided with a groove to receive the tongue of said gang of shuttle boxes, means to secure the lower part only of said guide to the lay under said thread space with the groove thereof in position to receive the tongue of said vertically shifting shuttle box when the loom operates automatically with said magazine and weft ends, and means to hold the upper part of said guide in fixed position with respect to the lay and extended into said thread space with the groove thereof aligned with the groove of the lower part for cooperation with said lower part to guide the tongue of the gang of shuttle boxes.

9. In a loom having a lay and capable of operating either automatically for weft replenishment of the upper of a pair of shifting shuttle boxes on the lay under a bobbin magazine having weft threads occupying a thread space extending over the pair of shuttle boxes, or with a gang of shifting shuttle boxes on the lay for non-automatic weft replenishing pick and pick weaving without the magazine and weft-threads, the gang shiftable upwardly into said threadrspace, a guide on the lay for the shuttle boxes formed of two separate parts the lower part only of which is mounted on the lay when the loom operates automatically to guide said pair of shuttle boxes, means to secure said one part to the lay below said thread space, and means to secure said other part to the first part in position to extend upwardly into said thread space and cooperate with the first part to guide said gang of shuttle boxes when the loom operates non-automatically. Y

10. In a loom having a lay and capable of operating with a pair of shifting shuttle boxes on the lay under a magazine having weft threads occupying a thread space extending over the shuttle box for automatic weft replenishing weaving, or with a gang of shifting shuttle boxes on the lay shiftable upwardly into said thread space for non-automatic weft replenishing pick and pick weaving without the magazine, both the pair and the gang 'of shuttle boxes having guide tongues, a shuttle'box guide on the lay formed of two separate parts having aligned grooves, means to secure the lower only of said parts to the lay below said thread space and in position to have the groove thereof receive the tongue of said pair of shuttle boxes when the loom is weaving automatically, and means to secure the other part to the first part in position to have the groove thereof aligned with the groove of the lower part to receive the tongue of said gang of shuttle boxes when the loom is weaving non-automatically and cause said other part to extend upwardly from said first part into said thread space.

11. A shuttle box guide for a loom having a lay which can operate either with a pair of vertically aligned shuttle boxes under a bobbin magazine from which weft threads extend into a thread space over the shuttle boxes, or with a gang of several vertically aligned shuttle boxes without the magazine and weft threads, both the pair and gang of shuttle boxes having guide tongues, said uide comprising upper and lower parts the lower of which has a guide groove and has provision for attachment to the lay whether the loom operates with or without the magazine and weft threads to locate said groove for cooperation with the tongue of either the pair or gang of shuttle boxes, the upper part also having a guide groove, and

means to attach the upper part to the lower part with said grooves aligned when the lay operates with said gang and without the magazine and weft threads, said upper part when attached to the lower part to project upwardly therefrom far enough to extend into the thread space.

12. A shuttle box guide for a gang of shifting shuttle boxes having a lower part having a plate along one end of which extends a straight edge provided with a groove, a cam extending laterally from the plate and inclined upwardly and toward said straight edge, said guide having an upper part also having a straight edge with a groove therein, said upper and lower parts having abutting portions, and means passing through said abutting portions to hold the upper part above said cam and with the groove thereof aligned with the groove in the lower part, the latter having provision for attachment to the loom of a lay.

13. A shuttle box guide for the shifting shuttle boxes of a loom, said guide formed of upper and lower parts each having a flat body, and each part having a straight edge provided with a groove along one side of the body thereof, mutually engaging lugs extending laterally from said bodies, one lug for each body, means passing through said lugs to hold said straight edges with the grooves thereof in alignment, and a cam extending laterally from the fiat body of the lower member and inclined upwardly toward the straight edge of said lower part and terminating below the upper part, and the lower part having provision for attachment to a loom lay.

14. A shuttle box guide for a gang of loom shuttle boxes, said guide comprising upper and lower parts each provided with a fiat plate body, mutually engaging elements formed on said parts, one element for each part, removable means extending through said elements for attaching the parts together, said parts having straight grooved edges which are in alignment when the parts are attached to each other by said removable means, a guide wall extending laterally from the upper part, and a cam extending laterally from the lower part and inclined upwardly and toward the grooved edge of the lower part and terminating below the upper part and at the lower edge of said wall of the upper part, and the lower part having provision for attachment to a loom lay.

RICHARD G. TURNER.

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