US536948A - draper - Google Patents

Description

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' W. F. DRAPER.

LOOM. No 536,948. Patented Apr. 2, 1895.

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No. 536,948. Patented Apr. 2,1895.

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LOOM'.

No. 536.948. Patented Apr. Z, 1895.

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W. P. DRAPER. LOOM.

No, 536,948. Patented Apr. 2, 1895.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. DRAPER, OF l-IOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS.

LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,948, dated April 2, 1895.

Application filed February 14, 1895. Serial No. 538,359- (N'o model.)

To 0022 whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM F. DRAPER, of Hopedale, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

In the weaving of cotton cloth, an operative usually tends from four to eight looms. They are so constructed and arranged that when the filling is exhausted in the shuttle, or breaks, the loom is stopped automatically. When a warp thread breaks, and causes an imperfection in the cloth, the weaving will continue until the weaver sees the defect and stops the loom, and pieces the broken thread. In such cases also it is frequently necessary to pick out several inches of cloth, on account of a bad placemade by a broken warp thread. The frequency of change of filling, and of the breaking of warp threads, varies with the size and quality of the yarn. On an average it may be said that the filling breaks or runs out as often as once in five minutes per loom, and a warp thread breaks as often as every half hour. It will be seen that as far as labor is concerned, the larger part of a weavers labor I is in what is known as changing the shuttles, on account of the breakage of filling. At such times the shuttle needs to be removed from the loom, the bobbin, or cop tube, removed from the shuttle, a fresh one substituted, the end of the yarn sucked through the shuttle eye (generally by the mouth of the weaver)v the shuttle replaced in the loom, and the loom started. On the basis of this change once in five minutes, it is evident that with eight looms all these operations have to be gone through by the weaver each five-eighths of a minute. The work of mending broken warp threads is much less than that of'changing filling on most kinds of goods, but it is necessary that the weaver should visit each loom frequently to see that no warp threads are broken; and when a broken warp thread causes a pickout or bad place in the cloth, considerable extra labor is entailedupon the weaver.

To summarize, a weavers work consists principally in the changing of filling, and in watching for broken warp threads.

Recently a loom has been devised by James H. Northrop which operates practically to in,- sure the automatic introduction of filling into the shuttle, whenever the former filling is eX- hausted, or whenever it breaks. This device is shown in the United States Patent, No. 454,810, granted to said Northrop. This invention greatly reduced the labor of the weaver so far as the changing of filling was concerned,as that labor was reduced to the placing of bobbins in a hopper and attaching the ends of the threads to a stud, the automatic operation of the loom performing the rest of the change. More than this, the looms were enabled to run continuously, unless stopped by the weaver for a broken warp thread, and the bobbins could be placed in the hopper with the loom running so that no time of the loom was lost, in the filling change. Extensive experiments have been carried on with this loom under my directions with the expectation that the number of looms that a weaver could run would be nearly or quite doubled, as the actual labor of attending them was so much reduced. 1, however, discovered that increasing the number of looms to be visited by the weaver, as could easily be done so far as the actual labor was concerned, prevented the early discovery of the breakage of warp threads and the consequent bad places in the cloth. For this reason, the advantage which it was hoped might be gained by the use of the Northrop invention, was largely neutralized, and the practical increase of looms per weaver was found to be only about twenty-five per cent. Where an equal standard of cloth was maintained. The idea of making a warp stop motion to stop the loom in case of the breaking of a warp thread, next suggested itself to me as the best means by which the time of the Weaver, saved by the automatic filling changer, could be utilized.

Such an additionto an ordinary loom where the filling change was effected by hand, would be of little, if any, value, for the reason that the weaver would be compelledto visit each loom every five minutes at least to change the filling, and could then observe whether any warp'threads were out that required to be mended in. The addition of the warp stop motion has enabled the full labor saving value of the filling changer to be utilized. With both attachments applied, the weaver visits each loom to replenish the filling, perhaps once in an hour and a half, and to replace a warp thread perhaps once in half an hour, and in the latter case only when the loom is stopped on account of the broken warp thread. This enables a weaver to run at least twice as many looms as ordinarily. The two devices co-operate together, for the increase of pro- (1 notion and for the better quality of the cloth. Imperfect cloth cannot be woven with both of these devices attached, unless one or the other is in some wayout of order. As before said, while the filling changer alone will increase a weavers production only about twenty-five per cent, and a warp stop motion alone probably less than that, both cooperating together enable this production to be doubled. By my arrangement, for the first time I believe, a loom has been produced in which both the filling, or weft, and every warp thread is always under control. To effect this result practically, there should be in the warp stop motion contrivance, a plurality of individual detector devices, each under the control of a warp thread. I have arranged these detectors in such manner that the opening of the shed will lift them, putting them into the desired relation with a feeler having a feeling movement at each beat of the lay.

I have chosen to represent my invention in .this present instance as embodied with a loom substantially such as shown in said Northrop patent, but it will be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular construction shown for the automatically operating filling changing mechanism, nor to the exact form shown for the warp thread stop mechanism, so long as each warp thread is under the control of one of a series of detectors and operatively combined with automatic filling changing mechanism.

My invention, therefore, consists essentially in an organized loom containing the following instrumeiittalities, viz:-an automatic filling supplying mechanism,a warp stop mechanism containing a series of detectors operated by the breaking of a warp thread, shipping mechanism, and devices between the same and the filling supplying and warp stop mechanisms, whereby on the occurrence of fault in the filling or warp, the shipping mechanism will be operated to automatically stop the 100m.

Figure 1 is a left-hand side elevation of a sufficient portion of a loom with myimprovements added to enable the same to be understood, said figure showing the arm A located at the opposite end of the loom and actuated by the weft fork mechanism shown in Fig. 4, to turn the rock-shaft d. Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation broken out to show portions of the loom to be described, the filling bobbins being omitted from the hopper. Fig. 3 shows a partial rear side view of the right-hand end of the lay, to better show the detectors and the feeler of the warp-stop mechanism, the filling fork being omitted, the figure showing, however, the handle or lever of the shipping mechanism. Fig.Lisasectionaldetailthrough the loom from front to back to fully show the warp-stop mechanism and the stop motion which operates to stop the filling supplying mechanism when desired. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail showing one form of detector. Fig. 5 is a detail showing some of the parts contained in Fig. 4, but in a different position as when a detector has been left in its normal conditon to effect the stopping of the loom. Fig. 6 shows, in top view, part of the righthand front end of the loom with the filling fork used to stop the operation of the loom on fault in the filling supplying mechanism; and Figs. 7, 8 and 9, show details of the trigger carried by the stop motion of the filling supplying mechanism.

The frame-work A contains suitable bearings for a crank shaft A having connecting rods A which are joined in usual manner to the lay A it having in practice at its opposite ends a sh uttle-box. A pinion A on the crank shaft engages a gear A on the usual cam or picking shaft A, driven by power in any usual manner.

The loom frame supports a suitable hopper, shown as composed of a guide B adapted to receive the head or large end of the bobbin or other carrier 1) for the filling, shown only in dotted lines Fig. 1, and a grooved plate B to receive the tips or small ends thereof.

Each bobbin or filling-carrier is automatically taken from the hopper and pushed or supplied to the open top-side of the shuttler S, while the latter is in the shuttle-box, by means of a pusher 13, mounted upon a stud B rigidly supported with relation to the frame-work, said pusher having pivoted upon it at C a trip C which is adapted to be turned from its normal position into an abnormal position, whenever the filling breaks or becomes exhausted, by means of a finger d on a rock-shaft d, the motion of which is controlled by or through a suitable filling fork mechanism, to be hereinafter described, said trip when put in its abnormal position being struck by a hunter C secured to the lay A", the hunter moving the pusher to cause it to act on a filling carrier in the hopper, and push it into the shuttle.

The shuttle-box at the end of the lay A where the filling supplying mechanism is located, will have a passage-way made through it, through which may be discharged the bobbin or filling carrier, which is ejected from the out-going side of the shuttle by an incoming filling carrier then acted upon by the pusher and being put into the shuttle, the out-going filling carrier entering a suitable receptacle D.

e represents a binder finger; A, the usual picker-stick, and B a holder for the ends of the filling contained in the hopper.

The parts referred to by letters and numerals are and may be all substantially as indicated by like letters and numerals in United States Patent No. 454,810, dated June 23, 1891,

IIO

so their operation need not be herein more fully described.

The lay A has a suitable reed 10, and as herein shown, said lay contains suitable guidesas 12, 13, for a series of detectors 14, one of which is shown upon an enlarged scale in Fig. 4, said detector being suitably notched or cut away to form a space for the reception of the warp threads to, 20, which, in practice, are extended through the heddle or harness eyes of any usual shed-forming mechanism used to open or separate the warp threads to form a shed for the passage tlierethrough of the shuttle S, it being, it will be understood, a self-threading shuttle, such as provided for in said patent to automatically thread itself as the shuttle is in motion. In the formation of each shed, the warp threads which are lifted into the upper plane of the shed, contact with shoulders or portions of the detectors and lift the same so that their lower ends are lifted sufficiently high to be out of the range of motion of a feeler 15, but in case a warp thread to be lifted into the upper plane of the shed is broken, it will be obvious that the detector with which it co-operates will not be lifted and will stand with its lower end in the plane of movement of the feeler, as in Fig. 5.

The detectors, a series of them, preferably one for each pair of warp threads or for the threads in any one dent of the lay, are arranged side by side in a series across the loom, and are shown as carried by the lay.

The feeler 15 consists essentially of a long bar extending across the loom and attached to arms 16 of a suitable rock-shaft 17 having suitable hearings in the lay, said rock-shaft having an arm 18, which at each backward stroke of the lay away from the usual breast beam A meets a stud 19 as represented in Figs. 1 and 5, and moves the feeler bEtOkwardly away from the detectors.

The shed is opened ordinarily during the movement of the lay away fromthe breast beam, and when the lay is again moved forward,the filling having been inserted,-to permit the reed to beatthe filling into the shed, the arm 18 as it passes beyond the stud -19, will,by its gravity, turn the shaft 17, and

in case all the detectors have been lifted into their abnormal position by the unbroken warp threads, the feeler will pass under the ends of the detectors, and the arm 18 will drop as described and pass below the end of a slidebar 20, supported in suitable guides 21, 22, and said bar will not be moved,but should a warp thread be broken and the detector cooperating therewith be left down in its normal position, as in Fig. 5, then the feeler will strike the lower end of the detector, and the arm 18, then held up in line with rod 20, will meet and move said rod, as in Fig. 5, and cause it to effect the release of the shipper handle 39, of the shipping mechanism, the said arm acting as herein shown upon an arm 23 of a rock-shaft 24 having a finger 25, which acts against the said shipper handle, the release of the shipper handle from the usual holding notch in the holding plate 36 permitting the shipping mechanism of whatever form, to work and put the belt, if that is the driving power employed, from the fast upon the loose pulley to thus stop the loom and enable the operator to correct any defects in, or piece up the warp threads.

The main or cross shaft A of the loom has a cam A", which, at each rotation of the said shaft, acts on a lever A pivoted at A on a hangerfrom the breast beam,said lever having a weft-hammer or arm A which is Vibrated' at each forward beat of the lay, and which engages the downturned inner or rear end of the weft or filling fork A pivotally mounted on the weft-fork slide A ,whenever the weft is absent from the shed as the lay is moved forward, the presence of the weft in the shed, tipping the weft-fork, and keeping its inner end up out of the way of the hammer A as the latter goes forward.

If the weft hammer engages the inner end of the weft fork by reason of the weft being absent from the shed, then the weft-fork slide A is moved forward across the breast beam in the stand or guide A and the outer end of the slide will meet the arm of a lever A pivoted at A and connected at its other end by a link A to an arm fast on the rockshaft (1, thus turning the said rock-shaft and causing its finger d at the opposite end of the shaft'to strike the lower end of the elbowshaped trip 0, putting its inner end in the range of movement of the hunter 0 carried by the lay, the hunter acting on the trip, causing the pusher or transferrer B to be thrown down and meet a bobbin-carrier containing filling, and put it into the shuttle, ejecting, as described, the bobbin carrier in which the filling was at fault. Now, it sometimes happens that the thread of the bobbin last inserted in the shuttle, fails to be threaded into the delivery eye thereof, and in such event the wefbfork mechanism would continue to act and cause the full bobbin just put into the shuttle to be ejected before its thread had been at all used, and the loom would continue to run, and, at every other pick, unless means were provided to prevent, would move the pusher to take a bobbin from the hopper or other source of supply for bobbins, and put it into the shuttle, and this operation would be continued until a thread from the bobbin had been left in the shed in suitable position to tip the filling fork, and if the filling fork should not be tipped by the weft, then the operation would continue until all the bobbins had been taken from the with devices which will be operated and made i beam by a screw 34 a trigger-mover 35, which somewhat overlaps the weft-fork stand A so as to be in the range of movement of the short arm of the trigger. I have pivoted upon thelay at 36 a knock-off lever 37, it having pivoted upon it near one end at 312 a latch or dog 38, the opposite or left-hand end of thelever, see Fig. 6, resting just above the usual notched holding-plate 36 attached to the breastbeam, said lever lying close to the shipperhandle 39, herein shown as a spring-handle suitably connected with or entering loosely a notch in a belt-shipper 41, of any usual or suitable construction and provided with a suitable forked arm 42 to control the belt employed to drive the loom and place it either on the fast or loose pulley, according to whether the shipper lever isin its usual notch in the plate 36*, or is out of said notch.

In the drawings Fig. 4, I have shown the weft hammer in the position it will occupy on its forward beat after the weft-fork has been tipped up so that the hammer passes under it.

Let it be supposed that the weft is absent and that the weft fork hammer has caught the rear end of the weft fork and is moving the weft-fork slide forward. Now in such movement the short arm of the trigger 33 will meet the triggermover 35, and the said trigger will be turned thereby about its pivot 32 into the dotted line position Fig. 8, causing the long arm of the trigger to pass under the right-hand end of the knock-0d lever 37, where, acting against the beveled under side, see Fig. 9, of the latch 38, the trigger will lift the said latch and not turn the knock-off lever about its pivot. As the weft-hammer A is moved back away from the breast-beam, the weft fork slide will be thrown forward toward the lay in the usual manner, but the trigger 33 will remain in the dotted line position in which it was put by contact with the trigger-mover 35, and should the shuttle which has just received the filling thread carrierand which has j ust been thrown through the shed, have the thread of the filling carrier threaded into the delivery eye of the shuttle so as to leave in front of the weft fork a thread, then the weft fork will be tilted in usual manner and the weft hammer in its next movement, it being moved once for each beat of the lay, will strike the short arm of the trigger and turn the latter back about its pivot 32 into the position shown in Fig. 6, but

if by reason of the shuttle not having been threaded, the thread is not present to tip the weft fork and consequently the latter is engaged and the slide is again operated by the weft hammer, then the said trigger, occupying the dotted line position referred to, will at the second movement of the weft fork slide toward the front of the breast beam, strike the side of the latch 38 of the lever 37, and turn the said lever to knock the shipper-handle from its holding notch in the plate 36?, allowing said handle to move in the direction to shift the belt from the fast to the loose pulley and stop the loom. In this way, whenever a shuttle containing a new or fresh bobbin does not leave its weft in frontof the weft-fork at a second shot, and there is thus fault in the filling, the loom willbe automatically stopped; but, in case said weft thread is left in front of the said fork at a second shot, the loom will continue to run.

The pusher and suitable actuating devices constitute automatic filling supplying mechanism,and instead of the particular mechanism shown for this purpose, it being as provided in'said patent, I may employ any other well known or equivalent filling supplying mechanism, and instead of the particular warp stop mechanism shown, I may employ any other equivalent mechanism wherein the warp threads areindividually and separately controlled by detectors having co-operating with them a feeler or device which when arrested bya detector which has been left in its normal position due to a broken warp thread, will, through suitable devices, located between it and the usual driving mechanism, effect the stopping of the loom; and instead of the particular weft-fork mechanism and shipping mechanisms shown, I may employ any other equivalent mechanism.

The warp stop motion herein forms the subject matter of a separate application filed on October 23, 1891, Serial No. 409,617, by me.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

An organized loom containing the following instrumentalities, vizz-an automatic filling supplying mechanism; a warp-stop mechanism containing a series of detectors operated by the breaking of a warp thread; shipping mechanism; and devices between the same and the filling supplying and warp stop mechanisms, whereby on the occurrence of fault in the filling or warp, the shipping mechanism will be operated to automatically stop the loom, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM F. DRAPER.

Witnesses:

F. H. MONTGOMERY, HENRY L. BALLENTINE.

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