Title of Invention	GRIPPER TRANSPORT ELEMENT FOR A WEAVING MACHINE
Abstract	The invention relates to a gripper transport element 10 in the form of a gripper band or a gripper rod for a weaving machine. According to the invention, at least two longitudinal grooves 16, 20 in the lower side thereof 13 are provided over a part of the length, said grooves being arranged at a distance from each other in the horizontal direction and enlarge the horizontal guide surface.

Full Text

P 44383 WO/IN - 1 - Description Gripper transport element for a weaving machine The invention relates to a gripper transport element for a weaving machine, which has vertical guide surfaces for guidance in the vertical direction and horizontal guide surfaces for guidance in the horizontal direction. Gripper transport elements of the type mentioned above are guided within the weaving shed by means of hook-shaped guide elements, which are attached to the slay of the weaving machine and introduced into the weav- ing shed through the lower warp sheet for a weft insertion, in order to guide the gripper transport element during the weft insertion. After weft insertion when beating up the weft thread, the guide elements are again moved out of the weaving shed. With a known gripper transport element of the type mentioned above (EP 0275479 B1) the gripper transport element having the form of a gripper band is provided with a longitudinal groove cut on its lower side. The upper side and groove root of the longitudinal groove form vertical guide surfaces on which they are movable in the weaving shed to guide the gripper band against movement in the vertical direction. The guide elements which have, for technical reasons, an open hook-shape form towards the reed engage with a guide in the undercut longitudinal groove of the gripper transport element. The horizontal guide surfaces comprise the side surface of the gripper band facing away from the reed, on which the gripper band is prevented from movement away from the reed in the horizontal direction. The horizontal guide surface that prevents the gripper-band movement in the direction towards the reed is formed by a sidewall of the longitudinal groove. This surface is inevitably relatively small so that substantial abra- sion occurs at this point, which allows the gripper band to become use- P 44383 WO/IN -2- less. It is also known (WO 94/10364) to provided C-shape guide elements that lap the upper and lower of the gripper band on the side facing the reed and as such guide the side surface facing away from the reed and the up- per and lower area of the side surface facing the reed in the horizontal di- rection. The gripper band is provided with a lateral projection running in the longitudinal direction, which is guided between the two projections op- posite one another of the C-shaped guide elements in the vertical direc- tion. The upper side and lower side of the gripper band run at a distance from the opposite surfaces of the guide elements, i.e. they do not serve as vertical guide surfaces. Due to the relatively small size of the guide sur- faces, severe abrasion occurs in a relatively short time. Moreover, with this "floating" guide of the gripper band, danger exists that the gripper band is prone to kinking at high weaving speeds. The object of the invention is to provide a gripper transport element of the type mentioned at the beginning, which offers relatively large guide sur- faces for better guidance and is therefore not susceptible to significant abrasion. This object is achieved in that, at least over a part of the length of the gripper transport element at least two longitudinal grooves are provided, which are disposed in the horizontal direction at a distance from one an- other and form horizontal guide surfaces. By means of the longitudinal grooves, the size of the horizontal guide sur- faces that prevent movement of the gripper transport element in the direc- tion towards the reed can be made relatively large so that abrasion can be slowed down. By means of the longitudinal grooves, the guide surfaces and in particular the horizontal guide surfaces can be enlarged in relation P 44383 WO/IN - 3 - to the cross-section of the gripper transport element, so that it is possible to use a gripper transport element that has a smaller cross-area in rela- tionship to the size of the guide surfaces. It is therefore possible to re- duce the size of the gripper transport element in relation to their normal sizes, without however reducing the guide surfaces and in particular, the horizontal guide surfaces. A gripper transport element with a small cross- area has a correspondingly small mass and is therefore suitable for high weaving speeds. In an embodiment of the invention, a guiding part adjoining or replacing the gripper band or the gripper rod is provided on a part of the length, which has the two longitudinal grooves. The gripper band or the gripper rod can in this case retain the initial shape with a longitudinal groove, whereas the additional horizontal guide surfaces are provided within the guiding part. In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, the height of the sidewalls of the longitudinal grooves towards each side at least ap- proximately corresponds to the thickness of the gripper band or the grip- per rod or of the guiding part. In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, the gripper band or the gripper rod, or the guiding part is enlarged on the one side adjoining a longitudinal groove. In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, the upper side and the lower side serve as vertical guide surfaces and both side surfaces of the gripper band or the gripper rod serve as horizontal guide surfaces for C-shaped guide elements. In this manner, all outer surfaces can be used as guide surfaces. P 44383 WO/IN -4- In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, preferably two equally wide and deep longitudinal grooves are provided in the upper side and / or lower side. In a further embodiment, it is provided that, preferably two opposite, equally wide and equally deep longitudinal grooves are provided in the upper side and in the lower side. In a further embodiment, longitudinal grooves are provided displaced in the transverse direction to one another in the upper side and in the lower side. With all these em- bodiments, it is achieved that the horizontal guide surfaces can be pro- vided with a sufficiently large size to prevent movement in the direction towards a reed in order to reduce abrasion. In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, a row of holes is provided with holes running from the upper side to the lower side, which are at least partly located in a area that is free from longitudinal grooves. This is an advantage in particular in comparison to the embodiment ac- cording to EP 0275479 B1, in which the row of holes is located in the longitudinal grooves area, i.e., in the area where the cross-section is re- duced by the longitudinal grooves. Further features and advantages of the invention result from the following description of the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and in the de- pendent claims. Fig. 1 shows a section through the gripper transport element ac- cording to the invention along the line l-l of Fig. 3 or Fig. 7, Fig. 2 a section through the gripper transport element of Fig. 3 along the line ll-ll, Fig. 3 a partial view of the lower side of a gripper transport element according to the invention, P 44383 WO/IN -5- Fig. 4 a section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 7, Fig. 5 a section along the line V-V of Fig. 7, Fig. 6 a section along the line VI-VI of Fig. 7, Fig. 7 a view from underneath onto a modified embodiment of a gripper transport element according to the invention, Fig. 8 to 26 further sections through a gripper transport element accord- ing to the invention, Fig. 27 a partial lateral view of a gripper transport element according to the invention, Fig. 28 a longitudinal section through the gripper transport element of Fig. 27, Fig. 29 a view from underneath onto a gripper transport element ac- cording to the invention, Fig. 30 a lateral view of the gripper transport element according to Fig. 29, Fig. 31 a section along the line XXXI-XXXI of Fig. 29, Fig. 32 a section along the line XXXII-XXXII of Fig. 29, Fig. 34 a view from underneath onto a further modified embodi- ment, similar to Fig. 29, P 44383 WO/IN -6- Fig. 35 a side view of the gripper transport element according to Fig. 34 and Fig. 36 and 37 further cross sections of gripper transport elements. In the description of the invention, guiding surfaces of a gripper transport element, i.e., a gripper band or a gripper rod or a guiding part are de- signed with vertical guide surfaces that guide the gripper transport ele- ment against deviations from its motion line in the vertical direction. Ac- cordingly, the guiding surfaces of the gripper transport element that guide the gripper transport element against deviation from its motion line in the horizontal direction are designed as horizontal guide surfaces. Typically, the vertical guide surfaces are essentially horizontally aligned and the horizontal guide surfaces are essentially vertically aligned. The vertical guide surfaces and the horizontal guide surfaces run usefully perpendicular to one another. They must however, neither be actually horizontally nor vertically aligned. In fact, they can more or less run in- clined to the horizontal or vertical direction. The gripper transport element 10 shown in Fig. 1 to 3 has the form of a gripper rod or a gripper band. The essential difference between a gripper rod and a gripper band is that the gripper rod is guided linearly outside the weaving machine. A gripper band in contrast is deflected by the drive wheel outside the weaving machine, so that little space is needed later- ally besides the weaving machine. A gripper rod can feature a higher flexural rigidity than a gripper band. The gripper transport element 10 typically comprises laminated plastic with intermediate layers of reinforced fibers, in particular carbon fiber or also polyaramide fibers (Kevlar fibers). The gripper transport element 10 is provided with a gripper on its end which enters into the shed. Within a P 44383 WO/IN - 7 - shed the gripper transport element 10 is guided by means of guide ele- ments 11 that are attached to a slay, on which also a reed is fixed. With the motion of the slay, the guide elements 11 are introduced into a weav- ing shed between the warp-threads through the lower warp sheet, so that they can lead to the gripper transport element 10 within the weaving shed. The upper side 12 and the lower side 13 of the gripper transport element 10 form vertical guide surfaces that guide the gripper transport element 10 in the vertical direction, i.e., prevent movement from the predeter- mined motion line in the vertical direction. The guide elements 11 feature a C-shape form and are open on the side facing the reed (not shown). They guide the gripper transport element 10 on the two side surfaces 14 and 15 that form the horizontal guide surfaces, so that the gripper trans- port element 10 is prevented from movement in the horizontal direction. On the closed side of the guide elements 11, the entire height of the side surface 14 can be utilized as a horizontal guide surface. On the opposite open side, however, only a part of the side surface 15 is usable as a horizontal guide surface. To enlarge the horizontal guide surfaces, a longitudinal groove 16 is provided in the lower side 13 of the gripper transport element 10, of which the side surfaces enlarge the horizontal guide surfaces. Thereby, above all, enlargement of the horizontal guide surfaces is advantageous, in that it prevents movement towards the reed, i.e., the right side surface in Fig. 1 and 2 of the longitudinal groove 16. In the longitudinal groove 16, a pro- jection 17 of the guide surfaces engage, which, together with the side sur- faces of the longitudinal groove 16, support the horizontal guide. As can be seen from Fig. 2 and 3, the gripper transport element 10 is pro- P 44383 WO/IN - 8 - vided over a part A of its length, which is for instance 500 mm long, with an enlargement 18 that runs outside the guide elements 11. The enlarge- ment 18 has approximately the same height as that of the part of the grip- per transport element 10 guided within the guide elements 11, i.e., ap- proximately the same height as the side surfaces 14, 15. A gripper can be fixed on this enlargement 18. For example, this can occur in the manner disclosed in WO 94/10364. Between the part of the gripper transport ele- ment 10 located within the guide elements 11 and the enlargement, there are two further longitudinal grooves 19, 20, in which the portions, of the C- shaped guide elements 11 opposite one another, engage. The gripper transport element 10 therefore has two longitudinal grooves 16, 20 that are disposed in the transverse direction to one another at a distance in the area A, in which the enlargement 18 is provided inside the lower side 13. As shown in Fig. 4 and 5, the gripper transport element 10' must not con- sist of a single part over the entire length. The gripper transport element 10' shown in Fig. 4 consists of a framework 21 corresponding to the inte- rior contour of the guide elements 11 of a gripper rod or of a gripper band and a guiding part 22 which forms the enlargement extending over area A and forms the second longitudinal groove 20'. Likewise, it forms the longi- tudinal groove 19' and in the elongation of the longitudinal groove 16, the longitudinal groove 16'. The gripper transport element 60 according to Fig. 8 is suitable in particular as a gripper band. It has an essentially flat rectangular cross-section, which is relatively flexible to bending about a horizontal axis but relatively rigid to bending about a vertical axis. The upper side 61 and the lower side 62 form vertical guide surfaces, of which the guides are assigned guide surfaces 63 that prevent movement of the gripper transport element 60 in the vertical direction. In the lower side 62 of the gripper transport element 60 two longi- tudinal grooves 64, 65 are integrated, which feature the same width and the P 44383 WO/IN -9- same depth in the exemplary embodiment and feature the same distance from the longitudinal middle of the gripper transport element 60. The projec- tions 66, 67 of the guide surfaces 63 engage in the longitudinal grooves 64, 65. The side surface 68 facing away from the open sides of guide elements 63 of the gripper transport element 60 facing a reed (not shown) forms one horizontal guide surface that prevents horizontal movement of the gripper transport element 60 from the open side, i.e. away from the reed (not shown). The side surfaces of the longitudinal grooves 64, 65 facing the open side of the guide surfaces 63 form horizontal guide surfaces, which prevent horizontal movement of the gripper transport element 60 in the di- rection towards the open side, i.e., towards the reed (not shown). The depth of the longitudinal grooves 64, 65 is selected such that the added height of the two side surfaces of the longitudinal grooves 64, 65 facing the open side at least approximately corresponds to the height of the side surface 68. The height of the entire guide surface, which prevents movement of the grip- per transport element 60 in the direction towards the reed (not shown), cor- respond therefore at least to approximately the thickness of the gripper transport element 60. The gripper transport element 70 according to Fig. 9 is likewise particularly suitable as a gripper band, since it has a smaller height than width. It differs from the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 8 in that longitudinal grooves 76, 77 are provided in the upper side 71 additionally to the longitu- dinal grooves 74, 75 in the lower side 72. The guide elements 73 are de- signed such that they engage into all four longitudinal grooves 74, 75, 76, 77 and work together with horizontal guide surfaces that are formed by the longitudinal-groove sidewalls. The gripper transport element 70 is pro- vided in its longitudinal middle with holes 78 running from the upper side 71 to the lower side 72, which are disposed in a row of holes. In these holes 78, teeth of a drive gear wheel engage in a known manner. The holes 78 of the row of holes are located in a area of the gripper transport P 44383 WO/IN -10- element 70, of which the cross-area is not weakened by longitudinal grooves. The exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 10 and 11 essentially cor- responds to the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 1 to 3. In addi- tion, in the upper side 12 of the gripper transport element 80, a further longitudinal groove 82 is integrated, which is likewise involved at the side guide, i.e. forms horizontal guide surfaces for projections 84 of the guide elements 83. With the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 10 and 11 an enlargement 88 likewise running outside of the guide elements 83 is provided, which extends over a part of the length of the gripper transport element 80, for example about 500 mm. The enlargement 88 adjoins via an upper longitudinal groove 87 and a lower longitudinal groove 89 the area guided within the guide element 83. In Fig. 12 an exemplary embodiment is shown, which in principle corre- sponds to the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 8. The gripper transport element 100 is provided on its lower side with two longitudinal grooves 101, 102, in which shoulders 105, 107 of guide elements 103 engage. In contrast to the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 8, the longitudinal grooves 101, 102 are not symmetrical to the longitudinal middle plane and therefore do not have the same width. They as such do not have the same depth. The longitudinal groove 102 is formed deeper than the longitudinal groove 101. Also, in this case one preferably strives for the entire height of the horizontal guide surfaces of the gripper trans- port element 100, which prevent movement towards the open side of the guide elements 103, at least approximately corresponds to the entire thickness of the gripper transport element 100. With the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 13, a longitudinal groove 112 is provided in the gripper transport element 111 somewhat P 44383 WO/IN -11- outside the middle of the lower side, in which projections of thread guide elements 113 engage. In the upper side of the gripper transport element 111, towards the closed side of the thread guide elements 113, offset from the longitudinal groove 112 from top, a longitudinal groove 114 is integrated. In the longitudinal groove 114 a corresponding shoul- der 115 of the thread guide elements 113 engages, so that also the walls of the longitudinal groove 114 serve as horizontal guide surfaces. Since the longitudinal grooves 112, 114 beginning in the lower side and in the upper side of the gripper transport element 111 are offset in the transverse or in the horizontal direction in relation to one another, their depth can project over half of the thickness of the gripper transport ele- ment 111. In Fig. 14, it is shown that the longitudinal groove 115', which begins at the upper side of the gripper transport element 111, just like the longitudinal groove 112, has a depth that is larger than half the thickness of the gripper transport element 111. With the embodiment according to Fig. 1 to 3 or 4 to 7 it is provided that the enlargement 18 has the same thickness, which the gripper transport element 10, 10' has in the area in front of the enlargement 18. As shown in Fig. 15 and 16, the enlargement 18', 18" can also feature a smaller thickness or a larger thickness than the preceding gripper transport ele- ment. In addition, it is possible to use the lower side of the enlargement 18' or 18" as additional guide surface, which supports the vertical guide. The guide elements 11' are provided with a corresponding shoulder 25, which is associated to the lower side of the enlargement 18', 18". This support of the enlargement 18', 18" leads to better absorption of torsional forces in the area of the enlargement 18', 18". As already mentioned, the horizontal guide surfaces that guide the grip- per transport element in the horizontal direction must not be directed in the P 44383 WO/IN -12- vertical direction. Likewise, the vertical guide surfaces that guide the gripper transport element in the vertical direction must not be directed in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, not all horizontal guide surfaces must be aligned parallel to one another. With the embodiment according to Fig. 17 and 18 a gripper transport element 170 is provided, which in principle corresponds to the embodiment according to Fig. 1 to 3 or ac- cording to Fig. 4 to 7. In deviation from the embodiment according to Fig. 1 to 3 or 4 to 7 it is provided that the gripper transport element 170 in the upper area, in the left corner of the drawing, which is associated with the reed (not shown), has an inclined guide surface 171. This inclined guide surface 171 prevents both the deviation of the gripper transport element 170 from its motion line in the direction towards the open side of the guide element 173, i.e. towards the reed as well as the deviation in the vertical direction. Also with the embodiment according to Fig. 17 and 18 the guide element 173 is provided with a shoulder 25 directed towards the reed, which serves as a support and guide for the enlargement 18 of the gripper transport element 170. Similar guide surfaces running inclined to the horizontal and inclined to the vertical direction can also be provided for all other embodiments, as shown for example by means of Fig. 19, which shows a modification of the em- bodiment according to Fig. 1 to 3. The gripper transport element 190 is provided with an inclined guide surface 191, which is associated with a correspondingly inclined guide of the guide element 11'. The gripper transport element 70 according Fig. 9 in the exemplary em- bodiment according to Fig. 20 is guided with a guide element 73' which dif- fers from the guide element 73, according to Fig. 9, in that, a vertical guide is provided only in the groove-root area of the longitudinal grooves 74, 75, 76, 77, and in the portions in between the upper side 71 and the lower side 72. In the area of the internal parts of the gripper transport element located in the P 44383 WO/IN -13- guide elements 73', the guide elements 73' are recessed such that they maintain a distance from the corresponding area of the upper side 71 and lower side 72. As shown in Fig. 22, it is provided in a modified embodiment according to Fig. 9 or 20 that the guide elements 73" have a shoulder 25 projecting from the open side directed towards the reed (not shown), with which the lower side of the part of the gripper transport element 10 located outside the guide elements 73" is guided. The embodiment according to Fig. 21 in principle corresponds to the em- bodiment according to Fig. 1 to 3. The difference is that in the case of this embodiment, the gripper transport element 210 has a cross section that is significantly wider in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction. Such a flat gripper transport element 210 is suitable in particular as a grip- per band. The embodiments shown in Fig. 23 and 24 essentially correspond to the embodiment according to Fig. 1 to 3. With the embodiment according to Fig. 2, 3 and 4, it is additionally intended that the gripper transport element 230 be provided with longitudinal ribs 231, 232 in the area of its side surfaces. The longitudinal rib 232 that is located on the open side is guided between the opposite portions of the C-shape guide elements 233. This longitudinal rib transforms in area A into the enlargement 18. The guide elements 233 are provided with a recess adapted to the longitudinal rib 231. By means of the longitudinal ribs 231, 232 the vertical guide surfaces outside of the section A are enlarged. In addition, in the area of the longitudinal ribs 231, 232, which is somewhat located in the neutral middle plane of the gripper transport element 230, several layers of the reinforcement fibers that can feature a larger width are laid in. P 44383 WO/IN -14- With the embodiment according to Fig. 25 to 28, guide elements 63 ac- cording to the embodiment of Fig. 8 are used. In the area of section A, the gripper transport element 250 has a cross area according to the gripper transport element 60 of Fig. 8. The two projections 66 and 67 engage in the longitudinal grooves that are open towards the lower side. These longi- tudinal grooves are located between three ribs 251, 252, 253, which pro- trude downwards from the lower side of the gripper transport element. The middle rib extends only over section A of the gripper transport element 250. The two outer ribs 251, 253 still run a little further and then transform into the lower side of the gripper transport element 250. The gripper trans- port element 250 has a flat, rectangular shape in the adjoining area, as seen in Fig. 26. A horizontal guide for the gripper transport element 250 is thus only provided in section A in full scale and in the adjoining section, in which the two outer longitudinal ribs 251, 253 are present. As seen in Fig. 28, which shows one view of the lower side of the gripper transport element 250, used as a gripper band, no lateral enlargement of the gripper transport element 250 is intended in section A. A gripper is fastened on the parts of the gripper transport element protruding from the guide elements 63. Fig. 29 to 32 show a gripper transport element 290, similar to Fig. 4 to 7, whereby, nonetheless, the two longitudinal grooves are fully disposed in the guiding part 22' of the gripper transport element 290. The gripper transport element 290 has a flat rectangular cross -section, as seen in Fig. 32. In its front area the height of the band-shaped part 291 is reduced to half and lies on the upper guiding part 22'. The guiding part 22' in section A forms an enlargement 18 that protrudes from the guide elements 11, on the open side and serves for fastening a gripper. From the lower side of the guiding part, two longitudinal ribs 292, 293 project. The enlargement of the guiding part 22' has the same height as the longitudinal ribs 292, 293, so that be- tween the longitudinal ribs 292, 293 on the one hand and the longitudinal rib 293 with the enlargement on the other hand, two longitudinal grooves are P 44383 WO/IN -15- formed, which engage in the shoulders of the guide elements 11. The free end of the guiding part 22' is formed in such a manner that when being introduced into the weaving shed it cannot possibly take warp- threads with it and damage them. For this purpose, it is provided with a rounded tip both in the plan view as well as in the side view. The embodiment according to Fig. 33 to 35 differs from the embodiment according to Fig. 29 to 33 only in the area of the connection between the band-shaped part of the gripper transport element 290' and the guiding part 22'. The difference is that still over a certain area in which the area XXXIII-XXXIII is laid, the longitudinal ribs 292 and 293 of the guiding part 22* are elongated by longitudinal ribs 294, 295 of the band-shaped part that transform into the essentially rectangular cross-area of the band- shaped part of the gripper transport element 290'. The embodiment according to Fig. 36 essentially corresponds to the em- bodiment according to Fig. 11. The longitudinal grooves 82, 82', 87, 89, however, are relatively dimensioned to the shoulders of the guide element 83 so that between the groove root of the longitudinal grooves 82, 82', 87, 89 and the shoulders of the guide element 83 a clearance exists. In this area no abrasion occurs. Also in the embodiment according to Fig. 37, which essentially corre- sponds to the embodiment according to Fig. 12, clearance is provided be- tween the groove root of the longitudinal grooves 101, 102 of the gripper transport element 100' and the shoulders 105, 107 of the guide element 103. In addition, outside on the shoulder 105 a shoulder 25 directed out- wards is provided, which forms a guide associated to the lower side of the gripper transport element 100'. P 44383 WO/IN -16- All embodiments have the advantage that a gripper transport element is provided, which has a small cross-section and relatively large guide sur- faces. The small cross-section leads to the gripper transport element hav- ing a small mass, so that working with higher weaving speeds is possible. The invention is not limited to the shown and described exemplary em- bodiments. In fact, special embodiments of the individual exemplary em- bodiments can also be implemented in other exemplary embodiments. In particular, in all embodiments which are not expressly described, guiding parts also similar to the embodiment according to Fig. 4 to 7 or Fig. 29 to 35 can be used, which complete or replace the gripper transport element over a part of its length and which can carry a gripper. When the longitu- dinal grooves are only provided in the guiding part, the horizontal guide is only limited to the area in which the guiding part is located. This is above all the area in which a gripper is mounted, which is generally then carried by the guiding part. P 44383 WO/IN -17- Claims 1. A gripper transport element which has vertical guide surfaces for guidance in the vertical direction and horizontal guide surfaces for guidance in the horizontal direction, characterized in that at least over a part A of the length of the gripper transport element at least two longitudinal grooves are provided which are disposed a dis- tance apart in the horizontal direction and whose side walls form horizontal guide surfaces. 2. A gripper transport element according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripper transport element is a gripper band or a gripper rod that is provided with the guiding part (22) which has the two longitudinal grooves. 3. A gripper transport element according to claim 1 or 2, character- ized in that the height of the sidewalls of the longitudinal grooves towards each side corresponds at least approximately to the thick- ness of the gripper band or gripper rod or of the guiding part. 4. A gripper transport element according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the gripper band or the gripper rod or the guid- ing part is enlarged on one side adjoining a longitudinal groove. 5. A gripper transport element according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the upper side serves as a vertical guide sur- face and both side surfaces of the gripper band or of the gripper rod or of the guiding part serve as horizontal guide surfaces for C-shaped guide elements. 6. A gripper transport element according to one of claims 1 to 5, P 44383 WO/IN -18- characterized in that in the upper side and/or the lower side two preferably equally wide and equally deep longitudinal grooves are provided. 7. A gripper transport element according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the longitudinal grooves feature different widths and/or different depths. 8. A gripper transport element according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that in the upper side and/or the lower side two longitudinal grooves are provided opposite one another. 9. A gripper transport element according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that in the upper side and in the lower side in the transverse direction displaced to one another, longitudinal grooves are provided. 10. A gripper transport element according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a row of holes with through holes from the upper side to the lower side is provided, which are at least partly located in a area that is free of longitudinal grooves. 11. A gripper transport element according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the gripper transport element has at least a guide surface with an inclination to the horizontal and to the verti- cal. The invention relates to a gripper transport element 10 in the form of a gripper band or a gripper rod for a weaving machine. According to the invention, at least two longitudinal grooves 16, 20 in the lower side thereof 13 are provided over a part of the length, said grooves being arranged at a distance from each other in the horizontal direction and enlarge the horizontal guide surface.

Documents:

01197-kolnp-2007-abstract.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-claims.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-correspondence others 1.1.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-correspondence others.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-description complete.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-drawings.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-form 1.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-form 2.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-form 3.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-form 5.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-international publication.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-international search report.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-pct others.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-pct request.pdf

01197-kolnp-2007-priority document.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(03-07-2014)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(03-07-2014)-OTHERS.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-ABSTRACT.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-ANNEXURE TO FORM 3.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-CLAIMS.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE).pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-DRAWINGS.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-FORM-1.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-FORM-2.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-OTHERS.pdf

1197-KOLNP-2007-(07-11-2012)-PA.pdf

1197-kolnp-2007-form 18.pdf

abstract-01197-kolnp-2007.jpg