US2770261A - Loom operating with stationary weft supply - Google Patents

Description

Wm? M 195% R. TURNER W W LOOM OPERATING WITH STATIONARY WEFT SUPPLY Filed May 27, 1953 2 Sheets-$heet l KIIMVENTOW WGHMWD G. TURNER W, M N

m. G. TURNER LOOM OPERATING WITH STATIONARY WEFT SUPPLY Filed May 27, l953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WVERTUR RICHARD R. TURNER I ATTORNEY United States Patent LOOM OPERATING WITH STATIONARY WEFT SUPPLY Richard G. Turner, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 27, 1953, Serial No. 357,736

13 Claims. (Cl. 139-126) This invention relates to improvements in looms operat ing with gripper shuttles and a stationary weft supply and it is the general object. ofthe invention to provide improved means for performing the threaded operation of the shuttle.

Looms of the type to which the invention more particularly relates ordinarily employ a mechanism, such as a presenter, to move the thread into gripping position with respect to the shuttle, after which the latter is manipulated to grip the thread prior to picking. The presenter requires closely timed operation between the presenter and the gripping jaws of the shuttle and also requires mechanism to move it toward the cloth to take a fresh hold on the thread after shuttle picking, followed by a reverse motion to make room for the shuttle.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide stationary guide means to hold the end of the thread to be gripped by the shuttle temporarily in a stationary position and move gripping jaws on the shuttle toward the end of the thread to grip it without requiring movement on the part of either the thread guide or the shuttle. in this way the moving presenter is eliminated and the threading operation is effected by movement of the gripping jaws while the thread is at rest.

It is a further object of the invention to act pneumatical ly on the end of the thread drawn from the stationary weft supply so that it will be held in a substantially stationary position where it can be gripped by the jaws when they are projected from the shuttle to gripping position.

At the end of a picking operation the thread will ordinarily extend from the stationary weft supply through the guide across a threading zone and thence into the warp shed. The threading zone as contemplated herein will be spaced from the selvage by a distance equal at least to the length of the shuttle. Side clamps near the selvage of the cloth catch the thread and it is then out beyond the side clamps with respect to the cloth. In the past it has been necessary to have thethread presenter in position to grasp the thread just before it is cut so that the loom will not lose control of .the thread.

It is a further important object of the present invention to permit the side clamping and cutting operation to occur more or less in conventional manner and then pullback the end of the thread still connected to the stationary weft supply to the threading zone and apply pneumatic force in the form of a blast of air to the thread to hold it in position to be gripped by the shuttle. During the pullback operation it will. be desirable to clamp the thread between the supply and the pullback means so that the pullback operation will always leave the same length of thread projecting beyond the guide toward the shuttle.

The shuttle used with the present invention has an elongated body in which are slidably mounted two thread gripping jaw members. There would be opportunity for the sudden impulse given to the shuttle at the time of picking to unseat the gripper members. relative to the r "ice shuttle unless precaution were taken to prevent such unseating and it is a further object of the invention to project the thread gripping members from the shuttle to pick up the thread in a direction opposite to that in which the shuttle will immediately thereafter be picked. In this way the inertia of the gripping members will tend to hold them in tight thread gripping position relative to the shuttleand prevent them from moving to thread releasing position.

The previously mentioned shuttle guide will be on one side of a threading zone and the shuttle will be on the opposite side of the zone. Both the guide and the shuttle will be stationary at the time of shuttle threading and the thread will be projected in one direction across the threading zone and the jaws of the shuttle will be projected in the opposite direction across the zone to pick up the thread. In order that the gripping jaws when moving toward the guide will not strike the latter a stop is provided for the shuttle which limits its motion in a direction toward the thread guide so that the jaws when fully projected and in firm thread gripping position will not be able to engage the thread guide.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example the embodiments of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one end of a loom having the invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a detailed side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1 showing the thread clamp,

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections on lines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively, Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a detailed vertical section on line 5- -5, Fig. 4, showing the air valve,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section on line 6---6, Fig. 1,

Fig. 7 is a view looking in the direction of arrow 7, Fig. 6,

Figs. 8-11 are diagrammatic views showing various steps in the operation of the invention, and

Fig. 12. is an enlarged plan view partly in section of the shuttle forming part of the invention.

Referring to Fig. l, the loom frame 1 supports, a breast beam 2 over which passes the cloth C. The warp threads W extend rearwardly from the cloth and may be manipulated in any approved manner to form warp sheds, as by harness frames 3. The loom operates with a stationary filling supply 4 from which is drawn the filling or weft thread F. A shuttle guide means 5 is provided to guide the shuttle S through the warp shed as it passes from one side to the other side of the loom.

As described herein the loom operates with a single shuttle which will be picked first from one side of the loom and then the other side, but certain features of the invention are not necessarily limited to a single shuttle which operates in this manner. Asshown in Fig. 12 the shuttle is provided with an elongated body 6 having a rear wall 7 from which cams 8 project forwardly. Within the shuttle for lengthwise sliding therein are two thread gripper members one of which is made preferably of resilient material such as spring steel and indicated at 9 and the other of which is rigid and indicated at 10. Each end of gripper member 9 has a bent part 11 to engage the adjacent cam 8 to cause it to move against the corresponding jaw 13 of the thread clamp member 10 when engaging its cam8. Sliding movement of the gripper members relative to the shuttle may be effected as described more fully hereinafter by insertion of an actuator means into a slot 14 in the rigid thread gripping member 10.

The two members 9 and 19 move lengthwise of the shuttle in unison and when they are in the position shown in Fig. 12 the left hand jaws 12 and 13 will .be

tion of the left hand parts 8 and 11.

The shuttle itself is not claimed herein but forms the "subject matter of a copending application Serial No. 357,735, now Patent No. 2,693,829, issued November 9, 1954, filed by me on even date herewith to which ireference may be had for a full description of the details of the shuttle. It is thought sufficient for present purposes to state that the thread gripper members are shiftable lengthwise with respect to the shuttle to project one or the other of its pair of jaws 12-13 from non-gripping .to gripping position, and that during the shifting a cam 8 will cooperate with its resilient jaw 12 to effect closure of the adjacent pair of jaws.

As shown herein and in the aforesaid application there is a simultaneous shifting of pairs of jaws at the ends of the shuttle, one pair to grip and the other pair to release a thread, but the present invention is concerned more particularly with the closing or thread gripping operation of the jaws, and the releasing feature will not be further described. An important condition for the operation of the invention is that when the shuttle occupies a given shuttle space preparatory to a threading operation, without regard to the manner in which the shuttle reaches this space, the jaws 12 and 13 should be open but projectible from the shuttle to closed position.

The parts to be described hereinafter for effecting the threading operation of the shuttle S include a thread clamp adjacent to the weft supply 4, a pullback to retrieve the thread after therlatter has been laid by the shuttle and cut near the selvage, a stationary guide through which the filling thread F passes and from which a short end of it projects toward the cloth or warp shed, means to introduce a blast of air into the guide for the purpose of holding the short end of weft in threading position in .a threading zone, and means for manipulating the previously described thread gripper members of the shuttle to cause them to grip the short end of weft.

The. various mechanisms just mentioned are operated from a cam shaft 15 which is mounted for rotation on the loom frame,. as by bearings one of which is shown at 16. This shaft can be driven in any approved manner and will rotate once for every second picking operation of the loom if a single shuttle is picked first from one side and then the other side of the loom. If a series of shuttles are picked successively from the same side of the loom, then shaft 15 will turn once for each picking operation of the loom;

'A thread clamp cam 20, see Fig. 2, is secured to shaft :15 by a set screw 21 and has a cam groove 22 having high and low dwells 23 and 24, respectively, joined by an incline 25 and a decline 26. A clamp lever 27 is pivoted at 28 to a stand '29 stationary with respect to the loom frame and has a roll 33 thereon received by the groove 22. The right end of lever 27 is provided with a thread clamping pad 30 to cooperate with a second pad 31 on a second stand 32 fixed with respect to the loom frame. The filling thread F passes between the clamp pads 30 and 31 and will be free to pass through them at certain times but will be held against movement through them at other times in the cycle of the loom.

A pullback cam 35, see Fig. 3, is secured to shaft 15 by set screw 36 and has a cam groove 37 having high and low dwells 38 and 39, respectively, joined by an incline 40 and a decline 41. A lever 42, pivoted at 43 to a stationary stand 44 fixed with respect to the loom frame, has two arms one of which indicated at 45 carries a roll 46 received by the groove 37 and the other of which indicates at 47 has a thread eye 48 through which the filling F passes. As the shaft 15 turns the incline 40 and decline 41 will cause the arm 47 to move vertically to assume either the dotted line or the full line position shown in Fig. 3.

An important feature of the invention is a hollow thread guide designated generally at G, see Figs. 1 and 4, comprising a tube 50 having a thread bore 51 extending therethrough and substantially aligned with the shuttle, as suggested in Fig. '1. 'The tube is mounted on a stationary base 52 and is held in place by a cap clamp 53 which permits adjustment of the tube 50 toward and from the shuttle. A source of compressed air, such as a compressor 55, is connected by a hose or pipe 56 to a rotary valve 57 in the base 52. An air passage 58 in the valve can be made to align with an air passage 59 in the base 52 communicating with the pipe 56 and also with an air passage 60 also in the base which communicates with a second pipe or tube 61. The pipes 56 and 61 are secured to the base 52 in any approved manner. The pipe 61 is connected as at 62 to one side of the tube 50 in such manner that air passing through the tube 61 will enter the bore 51 and issue from it in a direction toward the shuttle when the valve 57 is turned so that its passage 58 will permit pneumatic communication between the source of compressed air 55 and the bore 51,

The turning of the valve 57 is accomplished by means of a cam and lever such as shown in Fig. 4. A valve cam 65 is secured to shaft 15 and has a groove 66 made with a relatively long high dwell 67 and a shorter low dwell 68. A valve operating lever 69 is pivoted as at 70 to a stationary support 71 and has a roll 72 which fits into groove 66. The right hand end of lever 69 as viewed in Fig, 4 is forked to receive a pin 73 on an arm 74 secured by a set crew 75 to the stem 76 of the rotary valve 57. The latter is received by a housing 77 formed as part of the base 52 and a plate 78 holds the valve in'the housing as shown in Fig. 5. Rocking of lever 69 by the cam 65 has the effect of opening and closing the valve 57. The pipe 61 is sufliciently flexible so that it can be bent to adjust itself to longitudinal adjustments of the pipe 50 in a right and left direction as viewed in Fig. 1.

The actuating mechanism for the thread gripping members 9 and 10 of the shuttle includes an actuating cam 80 secured by set screw 81 to shaft 15. Cam 80 has a groove 82 having high and low dwells 83 and 84, respectively, joined by an incline 85 and a decline 86. The mechanism for manipulating the thread gripping members 9 and 10 includes a lever 87 having a roll 88 extending into the groove 82 and pivoted at 89 to a stationary stand 90. As the shaft 15 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow a, Fig. 6, the lever 87 will rise and fall under action of the incline and decline of groove 82. p

The free end of lever 87 has an actuating finger9t2 pivoted thereto at 93. Finger 92 extends forwardly and is curved downwardly as at 94 so that it can enter the slot 14 in the rigid thread gripping member 10 of the shuttle. A leaf spring 95 secured at 96 to the lever 87 engages the finger 92 and moves it in a direction toward the center of the loom, or to the right as viewed in Fig. 1. Movement of the finger 92 under action of the spring 95 is limited by engagement of the lever 87 by a stop arm 97 on the finger.

The finger 92 has rotatably mounted thereon a roll 98 for engagementwith a cam 99 projecting from but rotating with the cam 80. Cam 99 has an incline 100, a dwell 101, and a decline 102 which successively engage the roll 98 to move the finger 92 to the left from the position shown in Fig. 1, then maintain the finger 92 in its left hand position, and then permit return of the finger 92 to its normal position by spring 95.

The shuttle is received by a shuttle box B having front and back walls 105 and 106, respectively; A stop 107 shown herein as being a part of wall 105 limits motion of the shuttle in a left hand direction as viewed in Fig. 1, or toward the guide. The loom operates with selvage or side clamps 110 and 111 and also with cutter mechanism comprising cutter blades 112 and 113, see Fig. 1. Means for picking the shuttle is indicated diagrammatically at P.

In describing the threading operation for the shuttle it may be assumed that the end E of the filling thread F projecting from the guide 50 is being held pneumatically in a more or less stationary position by ablast of air issuing from bore 51 due to opening of valve 57 so that the end E is in a threading zone Z as shown for instance in Fig. 8. The shuttle will be held stationary in box B and the pullback lever 47 will be in the full line down position shown in Fig. 3 and the top clamp pad 30 will be against pad 31 to prevent the thread F from moving from the supply 4 to the guide G under action of the column of air issuing from the bore 51. The thread gripping members 9 and 10 will have their jaws 12 and 13 adjacent to guide G in open non-gripping position as shown in Figs. 8 and 12 and the shuttle will have just entered the box and will be against the stop 107. The actuating finger 92 will be as shown in Fig. 1, that is, raised and over slot 14 in gripper member 10.

As shaft 15 turns the cam 80 will act on roll 88 to lower lever 87 to cause the bent end 94 of the finger 92 to enter the slot 14, whereupon the incline 16b of cam 99 will engage roll 98 and rock the finger 92 in a clockwise direction, Fig. l, to move the thread clamping members 9 and 1% toward the guide G into the threading zone Z and in alignment with the extended end E of the filling thread F. Projection of the jaws 12 and 13 from the shuttle by the actuating finger 92 will cause them to move from open non-gripping position to closed gripping position, and they will engage opposite sides of the thread end B and grip it, see Fig. 9. This gripping operation is due in part at least to cooperation of the cam 8 and bent part 11 of the jaw 12 adjacent to thread end B. This will complete the threading operation and incline 86 of cam 80 will raise arm 87 to lift finger 92 out of slot 14 and away from the shuttle. At a later time in the turning of shaft 15 the decline of cam 99 and spring 95 will effect return of finger 92 to its normal position.

At about this time cam 35 causes the pullback lever arm 4-7 to rise to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, and cam causes upward movement of pad 3% to release the filling thread F. Picking mechanism P thereupon comes into action to move the shuttle out of the box 13 in a right hand direction as viewed in Fig. l away from guide G. At this time the side clamps 111 and 111, and the cutter blades 112 and 113 will be in the open position as shown in Figs. 1 and 10 so that the shuttle can pass between them and draw the thread F behind it through the guide 6 and the warp shed, causing the thread to unwind from the weft supply 4-.

Cam 65 will cause closure of'the valve 57 shortly after completion of the threading operation when the jaws 12 and 13 have fully gripped the thread end E. and before the clamp pad 30 is raised. The filling thread F can therefore be drawn through the guide G without being acted on pneumatically and the thread eye 43 will be substantially aligned with the thread so that the latter can pass freely through it to follow the shuttle, see Fig. 10.

When the shuttle comes to rest at the other side of the loom the side filling clamps 110 and 111 will close to grip the thread adjacent to the warp shed, after which the cutter blades 112 and 113 will move to cut the thread beyond the side clamps with respect to the warp shed. The clamps 119 and 111 and cutters 112 and 112 are not shown in detail herein and may be constructed and operated in known manner. The clamp pad 31) will then be moved down by cam 20 to thread clamping position and the valve 57 opened by cam 65, after which the pullback arrn 47 will descend under action of cam 35 to draw the filling in a reverse direction through the guide G until another short end E of the weft thread remains at the right of the tube 50, see Fig. 11.

The blast of air issuing from bore .51 will keep the thread taut between the clamp pads 30 and 31 and the right end of the tube 50, Fig. l, and the stroke of pullback arm 47 will be such that upon completion of its motion to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3 the projecting end E of the thread will extend across the threading zone Z in readiness to be picked up by the shuttle when the latter again arrives in. box 13.

When the shuttle is in threading position it will occupy the space SS shown diagramatically in Fig. 8 in a position between the threading zone Z and the warp shed. The foregoing description sets forth an operation of the shuttle by which it is first picked from one side of the loom away from the space SS and then back into the space SS, but this method of manipulating the shuttle is not essential to attain all the advantages of the invention set forth hereinbefore and it will be sutficient if any other manner of manipulating the shuttle effects its'placement in the space SS. When a single shuttle is used, however, the mechanism shown in Fig. 1 will be duplicated at the right hand side of the loom except that the parts will be of the opposite hand.

When the thread gripping members 9 and 1d are moved toward the guide 6 by the finger 92 they may cause some slight motion of the shuttle in the box toward the guide due to frictional engagement with the shuttle, but the stop on the front wall of the shuttle box B will limit any such motion of the shuttle and stop it in such. position that the amount by which the jaws 12 and 13 are projected from the shuttle will be slightly less than the distance between the shuttle and the thread guide, thereby preventing engagement of the thread gripping jaws with the guide. The given distance by which the jaws are projected beyond the shuttle will be somewhat less than the width of the threading zone Z and the guide G will not interfere in any way with the endwise movement of the gripper members. The stop on the front wall of the shuttle box, while being aligned with part of the shuttle, will be out of alignment with the jaws to permit them to have their thread gripping endwise motion.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth mechanism for threading the shuttle of a loom operating with a stationary weft supply wherein movable thread presenter means are eliminated and in their place is substituted pneumatic means to hold the thread in gripping position and projectible jaws; on the shuttle which move toward. each other and the thread to grip the latter. During the threading operation the shuttle will be at rest and this condition, together with the fact that the guide G is permanently at rest, insures correct alignment of the thread end B with the jaws 12 and 13. The blast of air is caused to issue from the bore 51 prior to movement of the jaws 12 and 13 toward the thread and the valve 57 will preferably be open during the pullback operation but will be closed as soon as the threading operation is completed and before the clamp pad 30 is raised. Incident to the threadingoperation the cam 8 on the shuttle adjacent to the guide G will cooperate with its resilient jaw 12 to effect a relative closing motion of the jaws 12 and 13 to thread gripping position. The jaws are projected from the shuttle in a direction opposite to that in which the shuttle is immediately thereafter picked so that the inertia of the members 9 and 10, if

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

, 1. In a loom operating with a stationary weft supply, a thread guide from which projects the end of a thread drawn from said weft supply, a shuttle supported by the loom adjacent to said guide comprising a body substantially aligned with said end of the thread, thread gripper jaws on the shuttle adjacent to said guide in open nongripping relation, said jaws being projec-tible lengthwise with respect to said body toward said guide, actuating means to project said jaws from said body toward said guide, cooperating means on said body and jaws causing the latter to move from said open non-gripping relation to closed gripping relation to grip said end of said thread when said actuating means projects said jaws toward said guide, the latter being formed with a hollow bore for the thread, and pneumatic means to cause compressed air to pass through and out of said here toward the shuttle and maintain said end of the thread in position to be gripped by said jaws.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said jaws when moving to closed relation move a given distance beyond the end of the shuttle adjacent to the guide and said jaws frictionally engage the shuttle and tend to move it toward said guide when the actuating means moves the jaws toward closed relation, and a stop aligned with the shuttle but out of alignment with the jaws is effective to arrest motion of the shuttle when the latter is at a distance from the guide not more than said given distance.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said pneumatic means is a source of compressed air which causes a column of air to issue from said bore toward the shuttle to maintain said end of the thread in position to be gripped by said jaws while said actuating means causes said jaws to move to closed thread gripping relation.

4. The structure 'set forth in claim 3 wherein valvev means causes said source of compressed air to create said column of air prior to movement of said jaws by the actuating means.

5. In mechanism for performing the threading operation of a shuttle with the end of a thread drawn from a stationary weft supply of a loom, means holding the shuttle stationary during the threading operation, compressed air means effective during the threading operation to cause said end of the thread to extend toward the shuttle in substantially stationary position, thread gripper jaws slidable on the shuttle toward said end of the thread, actuating means operative during said threading operation to cause said jaws to slide relative to the shuttle toward said end of the thread, and cooperating means on the shuttle and jaws causing the latter to grip said end of the thread when the actuating means moves said jaws toward the end of the thread.

6. In mechanism for performing the threading operation of a shuttle with a thread drawn from a stationary left supply of a loom, means holding the shuttle stationary during the threading operation, a hollow stationary thread guide through which the thread extends substantially aligned with the shuttle, means causing a blast of compressed air to pass through said guide and maintain the end of the thread drawn from said supply extended from the guide toward said shuttle, thread gripper jaws slidable on said shuttle toward the guide, actuating means operating during said threading operation to cause said jaws to slide relatively to the shuttle toward said guide during the threading operation, and cooperating means on said shut tle and jaws causing the latter to grip said end of the thread While the latter is maintained extended by said blast of air when the actuating means moves the jaws.

toward the guide.

7. In a loom operating with a stationary weft supply, means providing a blast of compressed air for maintaining an end of thread drawn from said supply substantially stationary in gripping position, a shuttle comprising jaws adjacent to said end in open non-gripping relation and slidable on the shuttle toward the endof the thread, actuating means to cause movement of the jaws on the shuttle in a direction toward the end of the thread while the latter. is maintained stationary by said blast of air, means on the jaws and shuttle cooperating to cause the jaws to grip said thread when the jaws are moved in said direction, and means thereafter operative to pick the shuttle in a direction opposite to said direction of movement of the jaws by the actuating means. 7

8. In a loom operating with a shuttle and a stationary weft supply, means effective to direct a blast of compressed air toward the shut-tle to place the end of a thread drawn from said supply in position to be gripped, gripping jaws on the shuttle in open non-gripping position slidable on the shuttle toward said end of the thread, actuating means to slide said jaws on the shuttle toward said end of the thread, and means causing said jaws to move to closed position and grip said end of the thread when said actuating means moves said jaws toward the thread. I

9. ln'means for placing a thread drawn from a stationary weft supply of a loom in position for attachment to thread gripping jaws of a shuttle, a stationary hollow guide through which passes a thread drawn from the supply and extending to the warp shed of the loom, cutting means to cut the thread between the guide and the warp shed, pullback means to draw the thread back through the guide in a direction away from the cutting means and leave a given length of the thread extending beyond the guide toward the warp shed, and pneumatic means to direct a blast of compressed air through the guide in a direction toward the warp shed and said jaws while the thread is drawn back by the pullback means and efiec'tive thereafter to maintain said length of thread in substantially stationary position for attachment to said jaws of the shuttle.

10. In means for placing a thread drawn from a sta tionary weft supply of a loom in position for attachment to thread gripping jaws of a shuttle, a stationary guide between the supply and the warp shed of the loom through which passes a thread drawn from the supply and extending to the warp shed, means to cut the thread adjacent to the warp shed at a point between the latter and the guide, pullback means to draw the part of the cut thread attached to the supply back through the guide in a direction away from the warp shed a sufficient amount to leave a given length of said thread between the guide and warp shed, and pneumatic means to direct a blast of compressed air through said guide toward the warp shed and said jaws while the thread is drawn back by the pullback means and effective thereafter to maintain said given length of the thread in substantially stationary position for attachment to said jaws of the shuttle.

11. The means set forth in claim 10 wherein a thread holding clamp between the supply and pullback means prevents movement of thread from the supply toward the guide due to said blast of compressed air during the time the pullback means is drawing the thread, back through the guide.

12. In means for placing the end of a thread drawn from a stationary weft supply of a loom in a threading zone for attachment to thread gripping jaws of a shuttle, a stationary hollow guide beyond the threading zone with respect to the warp shed of the loom through which passes a thread extending from the supply across said threading zone to the warp shed, cutting means to cut the thread at a point between the threading zone and the warp shed, pullback means to draw the part of the thread attached to the supply back through said guide in a direction away from the cutting means and leave the end of the thread in said threading zone, and pneumatic means to direct a blast of compressed air through said guide across said threading zone toward the warp shed and said jaws while the thread is drawn back by the pullback means and effective thereafter to maintain said end of the thread in substantially stationary position in said threading zone to be gripped by said jaws of the shuttle 13. In a 100m operating with a stationary weft supply and wherein a shuttle occupies a given space during a threading operation in which the shuttle is attached to the end of a thread drawn from said supply in a threading Zone beyond said given space with respect to the warp shed of the loom, a stationary hollow thread guide on the side of said Zone opposite to said given space through which passes a thread drawn from the supply and extending across said zone and said given space to the warp shed, means to cut the thread between the warp shed and said space, pullback means thereafter drawing the cut end of the thread connected to said supply back along the guide across said space until said end is in said zone, and compressed air means effective to cause a column of air to issue from the hollow guide across said zone toward said space and shuttle while the thread is drawn back by the pullback means and effective there after to hold the end of the thread substantially stationary and extended across said zone for said threading opera- 5 tion of the shuttle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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