Apparatus and method for operating a loom

Claim 2

In combination with a loom and a plurality of warp strips, said loom including means for forming a shed of said warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of twisting elements disposed in said shed each having a portion thereof spaced from a corresponding portion of an adjacent element a distance less than the width of one said warp strip for twisting a longitudinal portion of each of said warp strips in said bottom-shed plane into an angle with respect to said bottom-shed plane, said inclined longitudinal portions of said warp strips being located out of the path movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said inclined warp strip portions.

Claim 3

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of reed droppers mounted in said reed, each said reed dropper having a twisted portion in a lower region thereof inclined relative to the remainder of each said reed dropper to form a narrow passage with an adjacent reed dropper for twisting a longitudinal portion of a warp strip therebetween in said bottom-shed plane into an angle relative to said bottom-shed plane, said twisted portions being located in the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said angled warp strip portions.

Claim 4

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of reed droppers mounted in said reed, each said reed dropper having a twisted portion in a lower region thereof inclined relative to the remainder of each said reed dropper to form a narrow passage with an adjacent reed dropper for twisting a longitudinal portion of a warp strip therebetween in said bottom-shed plane into an angle relative to said bottom-shed plane, said twisted portions being located in the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said angled warp strip portions.

Claim 5

The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein each said reed dropper twisted portion is inclined in the same direction.

Claim 6

The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein alternating reed dropper twisted portions are inclined in opposite directions.

Claim 7

The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said twisting elements are reed droppers mounted in said reed, each said reed dropper having a bent intermediate portion inclined toward an adjacent reed dropper whereby a passage of narrow width is formed below said intermediate portions to guide a warp strip into said inclined angle and a passage of wider width is formed above said intermediate portions to guide said warp strips in said top-shed plane.

Claim 8

The combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein said reed droppers are bent in alternating manner whereby a narrow passage and a wider passage are alternately formed between said reed droppers.

Claim 9

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottOm-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of reed droppers mounted in said reed, each alternating reed dropper having a bent intermediate portion inclined toward an adjacent straight reed dropper to form a narrow passage below said intermediate portion to guide a longitudinal portion of a warp strip in said bottom-shed plane into an angle relative to said bottom shed plane and a passage of wider width above said intermediate portion to guide said warp strips in said top-shed plane, said bent intermediate portion being located in the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said angled warp strip portions.

Claim 10

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottOm-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of reed droppers mounted in said reed, each alternating reed dropper having a bent intermediate portion inclined toward an adjacent straight reed dropper to form a narrow passage below said intermediate portion to guide a longitudinal portion of a warp strip in said bottom-shed plane into an angle relative to said bottom shed plane and a passage of wider width above said intermediate portion to guide said warp strips in said top-shed plane, said bent intermediate portion being located in the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said angled warp strip portions.

Claim 11

The combination as set forth in claim 7 wherein said narrow passage is equal to the thickness of a warp strip and said wider passage is equal to the width of said warp strip.

Claim 12

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of healds suspended in said means for forming a shed from leaves of the loom, each said heald having an eye for passage of a warp strip, each said eye having a narrow upper portion and a wider lower portion for inclining a longitudinal portion of each said warp strip in said bottom-shed plane into an angle with respect to said bottom shed plane, said angled portions of said warp strips being located out of the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said inclined warp strip portions.

Claim 13

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of healds suspended in said means for forming a shed from leaves of the loom, each said heald having an eye for passage of a warp strip, each said eye having a narrow upper portion and a wider lower portion for inclining a longitudinal portion of each said warp strip in said bottom-shed plane into an angle with respect to said bottom shed plane, said angled portions of said warp strips being located out of the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said inclined warp strip portions.

Claim 14

The combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein said eye has a lower horizontal surface for receiving a warp strip of said top-shed plane in horizontal disposition thereon and an inclined surface above said horizontal surface for receiving a warp strip of said bottom-shed plane to guide said warp strip into an inclined plane.

Claim 15

The combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein said narrow upper portion of each eye is equal to the thickness of a warp strip.

Claim 16

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of healds suspended in said means for forming a shed from leaves of the loom, each said heald having an eye of uniform dimension for passage of a warp strip and being twisted in the region of said eye to incline the upper portion of said eye at an angle relative to the lower portion of said eye whereby said upper portion guides a longitudinal portion of a warp strip in said bottom-shed plane into an angle relative to said bottom-shed plane, said angled portions of said warp strips being located out of the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said angled warp strip portions.

Claim 17

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of healds suspended in said means for forming a shed from leaves of the loom, each said heald having an eye of uniform dimension for passage of a warp strip and being twisted in the region of said eye to incline the upper portion of said eye at an angle relative to the lower portion of said eye whereby said upper portion guides a longitudinal portion of a warp strip in said bottom-shed plane into an angle relative to said bottom-shed plane, said angled portions of said warp strips being located out of the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said angled warp strip portions.

Claim 18

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of droppers pivotally mounted in a stationary comb within said shed, said droppers being disposed in alternation with said warp strips, and a reciprocally mounted slider engaging said droppers for pivoting said droppers relative to said warp strips to guide longitudinal portions of said warp strips therebetween in said bottom-shed plane into an angle relative to said bottom-shed plane, said angled portions of said warp strips being located out of the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said angled warp strip portions.

Claim 19

In combination with a loom including means for forming a shed of warp strips, said warp strips forming a top-shed plane and a bottom-shed plane, a reed for beating up a weft into a beating-up position at the end of said shed, and a shuttle guide having a plurality of discrete guide elements movable into and out of said shed through said bottom-shed plane for picking of a weft into said shed; a plurality of droppers pivotally mounted in a stationary comb within said shed, said droppers being disposed in alternation with said warp strips, and a reciprocally mounted slider engaging said droppers for pivoting said droppers relative to said warp strips to guide longitudinal portions of said warp strips therebetween in said bottom-shed plane into an angle relative to said bottom-shed plane, said angled portions of said warp strips being located out of the path of movement of said discrete guide elements whereby said discrete guide elements are movable between said angled warp strip portions.

Claim 22

A method as set forth in claim 14 wherein the warp strips are twisted 90*.