Textiles: weaving – Special-type looms – Hand looms
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-20
2002-09-24
Falik, Andy (Department: 3765)
Textiles: weaving
Special-type looms
Hand looms
C139S093000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06453951
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heddle used, for example, in a hand-weaving loom for lifting or lowering a plurality of warps for forming a shuttle passage between the warps. The present invention also relates to a loom provided with such a heddle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A loom provided with a heddle is conventionally used for hand-weaving a fabric for example.
FIG. 17
illustrates an example of prior-art heddle for moving a plurality of warps W (Wa, Wb). The illustrated heddle H
1
, which is of a lifting type, includes an elongate frame
90
and a plurality of guide bars
91
. The guide bars
91
are attached to the frame
90
as arranged longitudinally of the frame
90
with a clearance
92
provided between two adjacent guide bars
91
. Each of the guide bars
91
is formed with a guide hole
93
. Each of the warps W (Wa, Wb) is guided into a respective one of the clearances
92
or the guide holes
93
. The clearances
92
are greater in length than the guide holes
93
. Therefore, when the heddle H
1
is lifted as shown in
FIG. 18
, the warps Wa guided into the holes
93
are lifted higher than the warps Wb guided in the clearances
92
, thereby forming a shuttle passage
94
for introducing a shuttle
94
. Though not illustrated, when the heddle H
1
is lowered, the warps Wa are made lower than the warps Wb.
FIG. 19
illustrates another example of prior art heddle. The illustrated heddle H
2
, which is of a rotatable type, is formed with plural kinds of grooves
95
A,
95
B,
95
C,
95
D for guiding a plurality of warps W (Wc, Wd). The grooves
95
A and the grooves
95
B are alternately arranged on one longitudinal edge of the heddle H
1
, whereas the grooves
95
C and the grooves
95
D are alternately arranged on the other longitudinal edge of the heddle H
1
. Specifically, the grooves
95
A,
95
B are arranged in facing relationship to the grooves
95
C,
95
D, respectively. Note that the grooves
95
A are deeper than the grooves
95
B, whereas the grooves
95
D are deeper than the grooves
95
C.
With this structure, each of the warps W (Wc, Wd) is initially guided into a respective one of the grooves
95
A or
95
B. In this state, the warps Wd received in the grooves
95
B are located higher than the warps Wc received in the grooves
95
A. However, when the heddle H
2
is rotated as shown in
FIG. 20
, the warps Wc in the grooves
95
A enter the grooves
95
C, whereas the warps Wd in the grooves
95
B enter the grooves
95
D. In this state, conversely to the initial state, the warps Wc are located higher than the warps Wd. By lifting or lowering each of the warps W in this way, a shuttle passage is defined.
However, the above-described prior art heddles have the following drawbacks.
First, in the heddle H
1
shown in
FIG. 17
, the warps W (Wa, Wb) need be introduced from the tip ends thereof into the guide holes
93
or the clearances
92
. However, since the guide holes
93
or the clearances
92
are relatively small or narrow, there is some difficulty in introducing the warps into the holes
93
or the clearances
92
from the tip ends. Further, for easier insertion of the warps into the guide holes
93
or the clearances
92
, each of the warps W need be cut, in advance, so as to have a tip end suitable for insertion, which is troublesome and inconvenient. Moreover, the user needs to move the heddle H
1
between three levels of height including the middle state shown in
FIG. 17
, the lifted state, and the lowered state, which is troublesome. Furthermore, the height difference h between the higher warp and the lower warp upon lifting the heddle H
1
(See
FIG. 18
) cannot exceed the lifting amount of the heddle H
1
. Therefore, improvement is necessary for widening the shuttle passage
94
. The above-described maximum height difference h corresponds to one half of the length of the clearances
92
. Therefore, for widening the shuttle passage
94
, the length of each clearance
92
need be increased, which leads to undesirable increase in size and weight of the entire heddle H
1
.
On the other hand, in the heddle H
2
shown in
FIG. 19
, each of the grooves
95
A-
95
D is open to the outside. Therefore, as compared with the above-described heddle H
1
, the insertion of the warps is easier. Further, since the warps W can be lifted and lowered just by rotating the heddle H
2
, the operation efficiency of the heddle H
2
is higher than that of the heddle H
1
. However, since the grooves
95
A-
95
D are open to the outside, there is a possibility that the warps W come off from the grooves
95
A-
95
D upon rotating the heddle H
2
. In particular, since the grooves
95
B,
95
C are made shallow, the warps are more likely to come off from the grooves
95
B,
95
C. Moreover, in the heddle H
2
, the height difference of the warps W cannot exceed the difference of depth between the grooves
95
A and
95
B or between the grooves
95
C and
95
D. Therefore, similarly to the above-described heddle H
1
, it is difficult to widen the shuttle passage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a heddle which allows easy setting, lifting and lowering of warps while making it possible to form a wide shuttle passage without increasing the size of the heddle itself.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a loom incorporating such a heddle.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a heddle comprises a plurality of passages spaced from each other in a first direction for guiding warps, respectively, a first retainer provided in each of selected ones of the passages for retaining a corresponding warp, and a second retainer provided in each of the other passages for retaining a corresponding warp. The first retainer and the second retainer are spaced from each other in a second direction transverse to the first direction for lifting one of the first retainer and the second retainer while lowering the other of the first retainer and the second retainer when the heddle is pivoted about an axis extending in the first direction.
Preferably, the first retainer and the second retainer may be arranged alternately with each other.
Preferably, each of the guide passages may be defined between a first surface and a second surface, and each of the first retainer and the second retainer may include an upper projection extending between the first surface and the second surface, and a lower projection extending between the first surface and the second surface. In this case, the upper projection and the lower projection define a warp retaining space which is accessible from the guide passage via a clearance.
The upper projection may preferably have an inclined surface for slidably guiding the warp toward the warp retaining space. The upper projection may projects from one of the first surface and the second surface toward the other of the first surface and the second surface, whereas said other of the first surface and the second surface may be provided with a cutout for loosely receiving the upper projection. Further, the lower projection may project from one of the first surface and the second surface into contact with the other of the first surface and the second surface.
According to a preferred embodiment, each of the guide passages is defined between a first guide plate and a second guide plate, and each of the first retainer and the second retainer includes an upper projection extending between the first guide plate and the second guide plate, and a lower projection extending between the first guide plate and the second guide plate. Further, the upper projection and the lower projection define a warp retaining space which is accessible from the guide passage via a clearance.
Preferably, the upper projection has an inclined surface for slidably guiding the warp toward the warp retaining space.
Preferably, the upper projection may project from one of the first guide plate and the second guide plate toward the other of the first guide plate and the sec
Bednarek Michael D.
Clover Mfg. Co,. Ltd.
Falik Andy
Shaw Pittman LLP
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