Tensioning and regulating device for the passage of weft threads of different thickness

Claim 1

TENSIONING AND REGULATING DEVICE FOR THE PASSAGE OF WEFT THREADS OF DIFFERENT THICKNESS, ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A SHUTTLELESS LOOM HAVING AT LEAST ONE WEFT INSERTING MEMBER, COMPRISING TWO PARALLEL SUPPORTS MOUNTED ON A BASE PROVIDED WITH A NUMBER OF EVEN, RECTIFIED, REPLACEABLE PLATES OF HARD MATERIAL AT A RATIO OF ONE PER PASSAGE OF WEFT THREAD; TWO PARALLEL FIXED SHAFTS CARRIED BY THE UPPER PART OF THE SAID SUPPORTS; A NUMBER OF BLOCKS FREELY ACCOMMODATED ON ONE OF THE SAID SHAFTS AND AGAINST WHICH REST A CORRESPONDING NUMBER OF THIN FLEXIBLE SHEETS BENT AT AN APPROXIMATELY RIGHT ANGLE, THE BENT PORTIONS OF WHICH FULFILL THE FUNCTION OF A SPRING IN ORDER TO EXERT THE ADEQUATE TENSION ON THE WEFT THREADS BY CONTACT WITH THE SAID RECTIFIED EVEN PLATES OF THE BASE IN CO-OPERATION WITH A CORRESPONDING NUMBER OF ADJUSTABLE HELICAL SPRINGS; AN OSCILLATORY LEAD ARRANGED IN FRONT OF THE SAID BLOCKS AND PROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE SCREWS AT A RATIO OF ONE PER BLOCK,ADAPTED TO INDIVIDUALLY ADJUST THE POSITION OF THE SAID FLEXIBLE SHEETS WITH RESPECT TO SAID EVEN PLATES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE THICKNESS AND QUALITY OF EACH WEFT THREAD PASSING THEREBETWEEN; AND A LEVER CONNECTED TO ONE EXTREME END OF THE SAID OSCILLATORY LEAD AND ADAPTED TO IMPART TO THIS LEAD AN OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP TO THE SPEED OF THE WEFT INSERTING MEMBER OF THE LOOM.