Improvements in Self-acting Mules.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1890-Accepted, 1st Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self-acting Mules.
I, JOHN CLEGG, of the firm of Asa Lees and Company, Limited, Soho Iron Works,
Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Manager of Mule Department, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in self acting mules and the object of my
improvements is to overcome the tendency of the pinion on the drag lever to jump out
of gear with the spur wheel on the back shaft just at the moment when the carriage
starts on its outward run. The jumping of this pinion and lever especially when small
rims are employed frequently breaks the teeth of the drag wheels besides producing
snarls and cutting the yarn.
In carrying my improvements into effect I dispense with the usual holding down
spring or equivalent dead weight arrangement for holding down the drag lever while
the drag pinion is in gear and I employ an elbow lever which is fulcrumed on a
bracket secured to the headstock at a point near the cam fork lever. The short arm
of this elbow lever is weighted and the long arm is made in two pieces secured together
in such manner that the length of the lever can be adjusted when required. I square
the end of the usual stud by which the cam fork lever is connected to the drag lever
and form a shoulder or catch piece near the end of the long arm of the elbow lever so
that at the proper time as hereinafter described the stud and thereby the drag lever is
caught and latched by the elbow lever. On the fulcrum of the elbow lever is also
pivoted another lever the short end of which is connected by a coiled spring to the
weighted arm of the elbow lever while the other end of this second lever is curved or
inclined downward and is placed so as to be depressed by a bowl mounted on a
carriage as the latter nears the end of the inward run.
When the front end of the second lever is thus depressed the back end is raised and
the spring connecting the two levers together being tightened the elbow lever would
be thrown forward were it not that the drag lever being raised the squared end of
the stud thereon abuts against the elbow lever at a point above the shoulder or
catch piece.
Before the carriage starts on the outward run the cam fork lever being actuated in
the ordinary way lowers the drag lever and brings the drag pinion into gear with the
spur wheel on the back shaft. This movement of the drag lever lowers the square
ended stud which is immediately latched beneath the catch piece on the elbow lever
by reason of the tension put into the coiled spring connecting the two levers together
as previously described.
After the carriage has run out a few inches the bowl leaving the second lever
liberates the spring and allows the weighted arm of the elbow to move down and
thereby unlatch the drag lever.
The advantage of thus locking the drag lever and dispensing with the holding down
spring or dead weight arrangement is that the drag lever when unlocked is free to lift
in the event of any obstruction being encountered.
Dated this 17th day of December 1889
H. B. BARLOW,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self-acting Mules.
I, JOHN CLEGG, of the firm of.Asa Lees and Company, Limited, Soho Iron Works,
Oldham, in the County of Lancaster Manager, of Mule Department, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and' in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained-in and by the following statement :-
'My invention relates to improvements in self acting mules and the object of my
improvements ist to overcome the tendency of the pinion on the drag lever to jump'ont
of gear with the spur wheel on the back shaft just at the moment when the carriage
starts on its outward.r
.run. The jumping of this pinion and lever especially when small
rims are employed frequently breaks the teeth of the drag wheels besides producing
snarls and cutting the yarn.
And in order: that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings reference being had to
the figures and letters marked thereon.
Similar letters.refer to similar parts: throughout the several views.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a plan of part of a mule to which my
improvements are applied.
in these views a designates part of the headstock of the mule; b the carriage,
c the tin roller, d the back shaft on which is mounted the spur wheel d¹, e the drag
pinion which is mounted upon a stud e¹ secured to the drag lever f, e² is a spur
wheel fixed to the pinion e and geared with a pinion f¹ on the stud which forms
the fulcrum of the drag lever f.
while the
fulcrumed
All the foregoing parts are made in the usual or in any convenient manner.
In order to prevent the, pinion e jumping out of gear with the wheel d¹ when the
carriage 6 starts upon its outward run I dispense with the usual holding down spring
or equivalent.dead weight arrangement for holding down the drag lever
drag pinion.e is in gear as shown in Fig. 1 and I employ an elbow lever
at on a bracket bolted to the headstock a at a point near the cam fork lever j.
The short arm of this elbow lever g is weighted. at g' and the long arm is made in two
parts secured together by a bolt g' in such manner that the length of the lever g
can be adjusted when required to suit the size of the.drag,pinion e.
I.square
the end of the usual stud k by which the cam fork lever j is connected-byva
link to the drag lever f and form a shoulder or catch piece g³ near the end.of the
long-arm.of the elbow.lever g so that at the proper time as hereinafter described' the
stud k and thereby the drag lever is caught and latched by the elbow. lever g. On
the fulcrum of the elbow lever.g.is also pivoted a second lever l the short end of which
is connected by a coiled spring m to the-weighted end g¹ of the elbow lever g while
the other or long arm of the second lever is curved.or inclined downward and is
placed so as to be depressed by a bowl n mounted on a bracket in secured to the mule
carriage.b as the latter nears the end of its inward run.
When the front. end of the second lever. is thus depressed the back end tis raised
and the spring m connecting the two levers 9 and 7.together being tightened the
elbow lever g would be thrown forward were it not that. the drag lever being raised
by the cam fork lever j acting through the link j¹ the.squared-end of the studs on the
drag lever fabuts against the elbow lever,g.at a point above the shoulder or catch
piece g³.
Before the carriage 6 starts on the outward run the link j¹ being actuated by the
cam fork lever in the ordinary way lowers the drag lever f and brings the drag
pinion e' into gear with the spur wheel d' on the back shaft d. This movement of
the drag lever flowers the square ended stud k which is immediately latched beneath
the catch piece on the elbow lever by reason of the tension put into the coiled
spring m connecting the two levers 1 and 9 together as previously described.
g

page_text: After the carriage b has run out a few inches the bowl n leaving the second lever l
liberates it and relieves the spring m thus allowing the weighted arm g¹ of the elbow
lover g to move down and thereby unlatch the drag lever f
The advantage of thus locking the drag lever and dispensing with the usual
holding down spring or deadweight arrangement is that the drag leverf when unlocked
is free to lift in the event of any obstruction being encountered.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
-
1. Locking the drag lever at the moment when the mule carriage starts on its
outward run by means of a combination of mechanism such as that herein described
which consists of a square ended stud or equivalent projection on the drag lever, a
weighted elbow lever fulcrumed on a stud a second lever also fulcrumed on said stud
and connected at one end by a coiled spring to the weighted arm of the elbow lever
and at the other end adapted to be acted on by a bowl on the mule carriage substantially
as and for the purposes specified.
2. A latch lever for locking the drag lever of a self acting mule said latch lever
being operated from the mule carriage either by the connections herein shown and
described or any suitable equivalents for the purposes specified.
Dated this 30th day of January 1890
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agent for Applicant.