IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry. Newton, of Oldham, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanic, and Abraham. Wild, of the same Place, Cotton
Spinner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND
DOUBLING."
Sealed the 25th January 1861, and dated the 8th August 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION .left by the said George Henry Newton
and Abraham Wild at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 8th August 1860.
I, GEORGE HENRY NEWTON, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster;
Mechanic, and I, ABRAHAM WILD, of the same Place, Cotton Spinner," do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES
FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING," to be as follows:-
"Our Invention relates to a method of giving motion to the "cam" or "self-
acting" shaft. For this purpose we employ a toothed wheel, from which
teeth are removed at intervals corresponding to the changes required. This.
wheel is brought into gear with a driven pinion by means of the usual spring
when the cam shaft is to be put into motion. We employ, however, péculiar
mechanism for the purpose of preventing derangement of the parts should the
wheel and pinion fail in gearing properly. To this end we mount the pinion
upon a lever capable of turning upon a centre, but drawn in one direction by

page_text: a spring, which spring will give way should any obstruction take place; and
this part of our Invention is applicable to other arrangements in which two
parts are brought into gear, for the same purpose. Rotary motion may be
communicated from any convenient part of the mule, but a special method we
adopt is to convey it from the "backing-off wheel" to a pinion mounted upon
the centre on which the aforesaid lever vibrates, which pinion drives the pinion
before alluded to, and which gives-motion to the wheel upon the "cam"
or "self-acting" shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Henry Newton and Abraham Wild in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 8th February 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
HENRY NEWTON; of Oldham,, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic, and
ABRAHAM WILD, of the same Place, Cotton Spinner, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS.-Her-most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and 'successors, give and grant, unto us,
the said George Henry Newton and Abraham Wild, Her special license. that
we, the said George Henry Newton and Abraham Wild, our executors, admi-
nistrators, or assigns, or such others as we, the said George Henry Newton
and Abraham Wild, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an ¡Invention, for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING," upon the condition!
amongst others, that we, the said George Henry Newton and Abraham
Wild, (or one of us), by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, (or
under the hand and seal of one of us), should particularly describe and ascer
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was:to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the; said
Letters Patent.
:
NOW KNOW YE; that I, the said George Henry' Newton, on behalf
of myself and of the said Abraham Wild, do hereby declare, the nature: of

page_text: our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement and'
accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
.
..Our Invention relates to a method of giving motion to the "cam
acting shaft.
•
or self-
:
Fig. 1' is a top view of a portion of a headstock of a mule constructed according
to our improvements, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same.
The sun
shaft is at a, and the cam shaft at b, upon the former of which is the backing-
off wheel c. This wheel takes into a pinion & mounted upon a short shaft e,
which is carried by the framework f; at the other end of this shaft is a
pinion g taking into a pinion h, which is carried by a lever i, capable of
turning upon the shaft e as a centre of motion. The pinion h is so situate as
to be capable of driving a wheel k on the cam shaft b, when brought into gear
with the teeth thereof, but the said wheel is provided with spaces by the
removal of teeth at 1, 2, 3, 4, within which the pinion ḥ revolves, so as to fail in
giving motion to the wheek k when the cam shaft is to remain stationary. The
wheels and pinions, with the exception of k, are shewn by pitch lines, in order
to avoid confusion. The lower end of the lever i is drawn in the direction of
the arrow by a spring.l, so that its upper end being turned in the contrary
O direction, the pinion his brought into position for gearing with the wheel k ;
the extent of this motion is however determined by the lever i being in contact
with an arm of a bell-crank lever m, m*, which is prevented from turning in.
one direction by a set screw n, but capable of moving in the other upon a
centre ato. To the other arm of the bell-crank lever is connected a rod p
5 provided with.a handle q, and having a notch which takes on to a stud upon
the framework. Upon the space wheek k is boss or rim r, upon which are
the usual stops, one of which is shewn at s, acted upon by the long lever in
the ordinary manner, for the purpose of determining the motion of the cam
shaft. On this boss or rim are a series of inclines, as at t, corresponding in
0 Dumber to the stops-s, and on a disc u are projecting counterparts. The
disc u slides upon the cam shaft b, but does not revolve therewith, it being pro-
vided with a projecting part, which moves in guides carried by the stationary
framework v. Behind the disc u is a spring w, which forces it towards the
boss or rim r. The operation is as follows:-According to the positions of
5 the parts shewn in the Drawing, the cam shaft is to remain stationary during
the drawing out of the carriage, the pinion.h is therefore opposite one of the
spaces 1, 2, 3, 4:of the wheek k, and the teeth are therefore out of gear. Upon
the next change being required, the apparatus connected with the long lever will
as usual. retreat; from. one of the stops 's, so as to allow the boss or rim r, and

page_text: cam shaft to be free to turn. The spring w, which has constantly been pressing
against the disc u; will now effect a slight turning of the boss r and wheel:k,
through the agency of the incline a acting against the counter incline t, and
this will bring the teeth of the wheel k into gear with..those of the pinionih,
and the cam shaft will then be driven from the backing-off wheel by the:
gearing above. described until the space 4 shall have arrived opposite to the
pinion h, when the driving power will be again, removed, and another incline,
on the boss r, similar to that shewn at t, will have arrived into a position.cor
responding to that shewn in the Drawing, and the apparatus connected with
one of the stops s prevent the inclines as before from acting until ; another
change is required. During the movements above described, the opposite
incline y on the boss will, by acting against the disc.u, force it backward
against the pressure of the spring w, and keep it upon a level run until a
position corresponding to that shewn. in the Drawing, but in reference, to
other inclined parts, is attained. It has been mentioned that the pinion.h.is.
mounted upon the lever i, which turns upon e as: a centre of motion, if there
fore the pinion h be so turned, the train of gearing will continue in the
proper relative positions, the centre of motion of the lever i.being that of the
pinions.g, h. The principle of this arrangement is an important feature of
our Invention, for supposing that when the wheel k is turned by the inclines t, a,
as before described, the points of the teeth of the wheel, and pinion should
meet, it is evident that if the parts were mounted in ordinary. bearings, there
would be great probability of breakage, but should such contact take place in
our arrangement, the lever i would be forced backward against the spring
until the obstruction was removed, and then the said spring would draw
forward the pinion h, and effect the desired gearing. If it be desired to take
the pinion out of gear so as to turn the cam shaft by hand, the rod p is drawn
forward, this will cause the bell-crank lever m, m* to turn upon its centre;
and one end thereof by pressing against the lower end of the lever i, will
cause it to turn upon e, and remove the pinion h from the wheel k, a notch in
the rod P will then keep the parts in this position as long as may be desired,
and when liberated the bell crank m, m" is acted upon by a spring 2,. to:
restore them to the position shewn.
We have in the foregoing description alluded to, four changes effected by
the wheel k, but more or less may be provided for, if desired. We have also
shewn one method by which the pinion may, be caused to give way to acci-
dental obstructures, but we do not confine ourselves thereto; that which we
claim as secured to us under the above in part recited Letters Patent, being,
Firstly, the employment of the wheel k with spaces such as:1, 2,.8, 4,.therein.

page_text: in combination with gearing so mounted as to be capable of retreating
therefrom.
Secondly, the arrangement of gearing for communicating motion from the
backing-off wheel to the wheel k.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Henry Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
GEORGE HENRY NEWTON. (L.S.)