US2897845A - Picker stick attachment - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 4, 1959 W. R. VICKERS PICKER STICK ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 15, 1956 INVENTOR. W/ZL/AM R. V/C/fF/Zfi ATTOAIVE/ J United States Patent PICKER STICK ATTACHMENT William R. Vickers, Lanett, Ala., assignor to Georgia- Alabama Supply Company,'a corporation of Georgia,

Application February 15, 1956, Serial No. 565,725

3 Claims. (Cl. 139-154) This invention relates, to n attachment for a; picker stick and has for an object the provision of such an attachment which permits the operating length, of, the picker stick'to be varied, thereby providing means for varying the power applied to the pickerstick as it strikes the shuttle.

Another object of my invention is to provide a picker stick attachment of the character designated which shall include improved means for connecting the lower end of the picker stick to the parallel motion strap which in turn is connected to the conventional type coil spring.

A further object of my invention is to provide a picker stick attachment having improved means for attaching the lug strap to the picker stick, thereby eliminating the use of power straps and the like.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an attachment for a picker stick of the character designated which shall be simple of construction, economical of manufacture and one which may be readily applied to conventional type picker sticks.

As is well known in the art to which my invention relates, the shuttle is thrown across a loom to insert the filling between each pick of the loom. This is accomplished by means of a cam acting through suitable arms and levers and a lug strap to actuate a picker stick. The upper end of the picker stick strikes the shuttle a hammer blow and drives it across the shed of the loom. The lower end of the picker stick is attached to a parallel motion strap which in turn is fastened to a coil spring which serves to return the picker stick to its original position after it has delivered the shuttle. The parallel motion strap also keeps the rocker down on the shoe, thereby preventing it from springing upward while picking. Due to the fact that a considerable strain is brought to bear on the picker stick by the picking cam, splitting of picker sticks is a common occurrence. Accordingly, it is very desirable not only to add strength to the conventional type picker stick but to provide means for varying the amount of force applied to the picker stick.

I overcome the above and other diificulties by providing an attachment for a picker stick which permits the effective length of the picker stick to be readily varied, thereby varying the power applied to the picker stick. Briefly, my attachment comprises a vertical member having upper and lower sections slidably connected for vertical adjustment relative to each other. The lowermost section is secured to the picker stick and means is provided adjacent the lower end of the lowermost section for attaching the parallel motion strap. The uppermost section of the vertical member is provided with lateral openings for attaching a lug strap thereto.

An attachment illustrating features of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view showing the manner in which the attachment is mounted on a picker stick; and

Fig. 2 is a front-elevational view of the attachment with the picker stick lug strap and parallel motion strap being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understand ing of my invention, I show a picker stick 10 which ex, tends downward through a rocker 11 and a shoe 12. Mounted on the shoe 12in the usual manner is a coil spring 13 which is connected to a parallel motion strap 14 in a manner well understood.

My improved attachment for the picker stick 10 comprises an elongated vertical member 16. having an upper;section 17 anda lower section 18. As ,shown in Fig. 2, the; lower section 18-is provided withan elongated vertically extending slot 19. Extending. through asuitable opening in the upper section 17 and passing through the elongated slot 19' is a bolt 21; The upperand lower sections are adapted for sliding movement rela tive to each other and are locked in selected positions by means of a wing nut 22 on the bolt 21. The vertical member 16 is provided with an opening 23 for receiving a bolt 24 which also passes through the picker stick 10, as shown in Fig. 1. The bolt 24 is locked in place by means of a nut 26 whereby the attachment is secured rigidly to the picker stick. The lower section 18 is provided with inturned flanges 27 and 28 which are positioned at opposite sides of the picker stick when the attachment is assembled, thereby limiting lateral movement of the attachment relative to the picker stick.

The lower end of the lower section 18 is provided with a hook 29 for receiving the parallel motion strap 14, as shown in Fig. l. The upper sections 17 is provided with lateral openings 31 and 32 which are positioned at opposite sides of the picker stick, when assembled. Passing through the lateral openings 31 and 32 and surrounding the picker stick 10 is a conventional type lug strap 33.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my improved picker stick attachment will be readily understood. The lower section 18 of the attachment is secured to the picker stick by means of the bolt 24 and nut 25, as shown in Fig. l. The upper section 17 is moved vertically relative to the lower section 18 until the openings 31 and 32 are positioned the proper distance from the hook 29, thereby determining the amount of force applied to the picker stick by the lug strap 33. The wing nut 22 is then tightened whereby the upper section 17 is. secured rigidly to the lower section 18.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have devised an improved attachment for a picker stick which permits the effective length of the picker stick to be readily varied. By attaching the elongated attachment to the side of the picker stick, the overall strength of the picker stick is increased. Also, by providing a hook at the lower end of the lowermost section, the parallel motion strap may be readily secured thereto, thereby eliminating the necessity of providing additional securing means for the parallel motion strap. Furthermore, the lateral openings 31 and 32 in the upper section 17 eliminate the necessity of securing a power strap to the picker stick.

In actual practice, I have found that my attachment is satisfactory in every respect and is particularly adapted Patented Aug. 4, 1959:

vertical member havingan upper section and a lower section slidably connected for vertical adjustment relative to each other, means maintaining said upper and lower sections in vertical alignment with each other, means for attaching said lower section to the picker stick, means adjacent the lower end of said lower section for attaching the parallel motion strap, and means adjacent the upper end of said upper section for attachsection, and lateral openings in said upper section for receiving the lug strap.

3. In an attachment for a picker stick having lug and parallel motion straps associated therewith, an elongated vertically extending member having an upper section and a lower section adapted for sliding movement relative to each other, an elongated vertical slot in one of said sections, an attaching member extending through said slot in one section and connected to the other section, means securing said attaching member to the section having said slot therein whereby the sections are held in selected positions relative to each other, means maintaining said upper and lower sections in vertical alignment with each other, means for attaching said lower sections to the picker stick, means adjacent the lower end of said lower section for attaching the parallel motion strap, and there being laterally spaced openings adjacent the upper portion of said upper section for attaching the lug strap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 793,744 Schofield July 4, 1905 949,794 Derosier Feb. 22, 1910 1,481,195 Gadue Jan. 15, 1924 2,140,675 Herron Dec. 20, 1938 2,461,138 Buchanan Feb. 8, 1949

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