US3322159A

US3322159A - Heddles

Info

Publication number: US3322159A
Application number: US495527A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank H Kaufmann
Original assignee: Steel Heddle Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Steel Heddle Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1965-10-13
Filing date: 1965-10-13
Publication date: 1967-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-30

Description

y 30, 1967 F. H. KAUFMANN 3,322,159

HEDDLES Filed Oct. 13, 1965 lA/l/E/VTO/P FRANK H. KAUFMAN/V ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,322,159 HEDDLES Frank H. Kaufmann, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., assignor to Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 495,527 7 Claims. (Cl. 139-96) This invention relates to heddles used in weaving looms for the purpose of separating the warp ends into sheds for the passage of the shuttle therethrough to effect the weaving operation and to structure for controlling the twisting thereof on the supporting rods therefor.

This invention further relates to heddles of the type which are made from a thin flat strip of metal or other suitable material, suitably punched and formed to the desired shape, and which are particularly useful for, but not limited to, installations in which automatic drawing-in machines are used for entering the warp in the harness.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide successively opposite heddle spacing offsets at the locations at which the heddles are mounted on their upper and lower heddle supporting rods. The US. patent to Ragan, No. 1,994,286, is illustrative of such a construction.

With such alternation of the offsets, free twisting movement longitudinally on the supporting rods in one direction is restricted to alternate heddles, the heddles between such alternate heddles being restricted to twisting movement in the other direction.

It has also heretofore been proposed to provide, as in the Kaufmann Patent No. 1,379,824, offsets at the mortised locations at which the heddles are mounted on their upper and lower heddle supporting rods with the offsets both in the same direction thereby preventing twisting in either direction other than to a very limited extent.

It has also heretofore been proposed to provide in the heddle, at the heddle rod supporting eyes, and offset on one side of the mortise with a compound curve, i.e. a curve extending on both sides of the main plane, to limit twisting of the heddle in either direction. Such a construction has been employed with the well known Drawtex heddles as shown in Kaufmann US. Patent No. 2,047,511. The length of the end eye or heddle rod mounting mortises in their relation to the height of the heddle supporting rod is such that while twisting of the heddle is limited by the upper portion of the offset the lower portion is not effective for preventing turning.

It is necessary that heddles suitable for use with drawing-in machines be capable of limited and controlled twisting movement, and all in the same direction, so that the warp receiving eyes can be positioned in open position for the entering of the warp.

It is also desirable in some weaving operations that the warp receiving eyes have a limited capability of movement to a partially open position, or to be even more restricted against twisting while still having free end to end movement on the heddle supporting rods.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a novel form of heddle made from a thin flat strip of metal or other suitable material which will have a controlled twist to determine the extent of warp receiving eye presented toward the main plane of the heddle frame.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heddle of the character aforesaid which is suitable for use with drawing-in machines.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heddle suitable for use with drawing-in machines and which can be readily constructed without presenting any serious manufacturing problems.

A further object of the present invention is to provide 3,322,159 Patented May 30, 1967 "ice a heddle with controlled twist on the heddle supporting rods and which is freely movable from end to end on the heddle supporting rods.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a group of heddles in accordance with the invention mounted on heddle supporting rods, one of the heddles being twisted to illustrate the control of the twist;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper end of one of the heddles of FIG. 1 in twisted position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper and lower ends of a modified form of heddle;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 3, showing another modified form of heddle; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 3, showing another modified form of heddle.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawing herein are illustrative merely, and that various changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, each of the heddles 10 there shown is made from a thin flat strip of metal or wire, or other suitable material, the stock preferably being of the full width of the finished heddle.

The heddle 10 preferably has opposite end sections 11 of the full width of the strip, a central section 12 and connecting sections 13, all of which are substantially in the same plane.

The connecting sections 13 of alternate heddles can, if desired, be provided with heddle separating offsets 14 to space the heddles 10.

The end sections 11 of the heddles 10 can each be provided with a mortise or slot' 15 for mounting the heddles 10 on upper and lower heddle supporting rods 16. The slot 15 has

side shanks

17 and 18 and one :of the side shanks 17 at each of the mortises is preferably cut away at the side, as at 19, so as to permit the heddles to pass freely from end to end on the heddle supporting rods 16 when said heddle rods 16 are supported in the heddle frame. Suitable heddle frames are shown in Patents Nos. 2,047,511 and 2,386,690 which will permit freedom of movement of the heddles 10 on the supporting rods 16.

The central section 12 of the heddle 10 is provided, intermediate its extremities, with at least one keyhole slot 20 of known type and oriented as desired for engagement by the selector mechanism of the warp drawing-in machine, if the heddles 10 are to be used for entering of the warp by such a machine.

The central section 12 of the heddle 10 is provided with a warp eye 21 with its

side margins

22 and 23 offset respectively in opposite directions from the main plane of the strip to provide a large effective eye for the size of the strip material, the warp eyes 21 all having their

margins

22 and 23 respectively offset in the same manner so that they face in the same direction.

In accordance with the invention the side shank 18 has an arcuate or curved ofiset 24 out of the main plane of the upper end section 11 in one direction and in the shape of a semi-oval hump. The offset 24 permits twisting of the heddle 10 in one direction about one quarter turn so as to permit the warp eye 21 to be positioned in open relation. The offset 24 does not affect twisting in the other direction and to control this the outer finger 17a of the shank 17 at the upper heddle supporting rod 16 is bent out of the main plane of the upper end portion in the opposite plane of the heddle rods 16.

If desired, the fingers 17c and 17d of the lower end section 11 can be straight and in the main plane of the lower end section 11.

In FIG. 3, a heddle 19a is shown having a greater restriction against twisting. The upper and lower end sections 11 each has an offset 24 in opposite directions. The

fingers 17e and 17 f of the upper section 11 and the fingers 17g and 17h of the lower section 11 are offset out of the main plane of the upper and lower end sections in the opposite directions from the offsets 24.

In FIG. 4, a heddle b is shown in which the side shank 18 has a double curved offset 25, on both sides of the main plane of the upper and lower end section 11. The side shank 17 of the upper end section 11 has the outer finger 17 thereof offset in one direction out of the main plane of the upper end section 11 with the inner finger 17k in that plane and the side shank 17 of the lower end portion may also have the outer finger 17r thereof offset in one direction out of the main plane of the lower end section 11 and the inner finger 17m in that plane.

In FIG. 5, a heddle 100 is shown in which the side shank 18 has a double curved offset 25 on both sides of the main plane of the upper and lower end sections 11. The side shank 17 of the upper end section 11 has the outer finger 17n thereof offset in one direction out of the main plane of the upper end section 11 and the inner finger 17o thereof offset in the other direction out of the main plane of the upper end section 11. The side shank 17 of the lower end section 11 has the outer finger 17p thereof offset in one direction out of the main plane of the lower end section 11 and the inner finger 17q thereof offset in the opposite direction out of the main plane of the lower end section 11.

A greater restriction of twisting of the heddles is thus provided by the forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 while still permitting free end to end movement of the heddles on the rods 16, and even if the double curved offsets 25 of FIGS. 4 and 5 are not fully effective for controlling the twisting of the heddles.

It will accordingly be seen that heddles have been pro- 4 V vided with which the objects of the invention are accomplished.

I claim:

1. Loom harness comprising plurality of heddles arranged side by side on supporting rods, each of said heddles comprising a strip of material having mortised end sections provided with rod eyes for mounting on the supporting rods and a central section with a warp eye, at

least one of said end sections having a side shank portion' on one side of a supporting rodwith an offset out of the main plane of the end section and the opposite side shank portion having a cutout for free end to end movement of the heddle-s on the heddle supporting rods and separating inner and outer side shank fingers, at least one of said shank fingers extending out of the main plane of the end section.

2. Loom harness as defined in claim 1 in which said offset is disposed in one direction and said last named shank is disposed in the opposite direction.

3. Loom harness as defined in claim 1 in which said offset is disposed on opposite sides of the main plane of the end section.

4. Loom harness as defined in claim 1 in which an additional shank finger extends out of the main plane of one of the end sections.

5. Loom harness as defined in claim 4 in which said fingers extend outwardly in the same direction.

6. Loom harness as defined in claim 4 in which said fingers extend outwardly in opposite directions.

7. A heddle comprising a strip of material with opposite end sections and a central section with a warp eye, said end sections each having a heddle supporting rod eye with opposite side shanks, the end section at at least one end being provided with an offset out of the main plane of the heddle, one of said side shanks at each end section having a side cut-away separating inner and outer fingers, at least one of said shank fingers extending out of the main plane of its end section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 599,836 3/1898 Fehr 13996 1,379,824 5/1921 Kaufmann l3996 2,426,456 8/ 1947 Kaufmann 139-96 X 2,478,157 8/1949 Kaufmann 139-96 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. JAMES KEE CHI, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. LOOM HARNESS COMPRISING PLURALITY OF HEDDLES ARRANGED SIDE BY SIDE ON SUPPORTING RODS, EACH OF SAID HEDDLES COMPRISING A STRIP OF MATERIAL HAVING MORTISED END SECTIONS PROVIDED WITH ROD EYES FOR MOUNTING ON THE SUPPORTING RODS AND A CENTRAL SECTION WITH A WARP EYE, AT LEAST ON OF SAID END SECTIONS HAVING A SIDE SHANK PORTION ON ONE SIDE OF A SUPPORTING ROD WITH AN OFFSET OUT OF THE MAIN PLANE OF THE END SECTION AND THE OPPOSITE SIDE SHANK PORTION HAVING A CUTOUT FOR FREE END TO END MOVEMENT OF THE HEDDLES ON THE HEDDLE SUPPORTING RODS AND SEPARATING INNER AND OUTER SIDE SHANK FINGERS, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SHANK FINGERS EXTENDING OUT OF THE MAIN PLANE OF THE END SECTION.