Improvements in Shortening and Reversing Motions for Mac ines used in the Preparation of Textile Materials.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1891-Accepted, 4th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shortening and Reversing Motions for Mac ines
used in the Preparation of Textile Materials.
I JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON of Pollard Street, in the City of Manchester,
County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer, and Machinist do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows :-
:―
My invention relates principally to machinery used in the preparation of cotton
for spinning and particularly to the machines known as roving and slubbing frames.
In such machines the rovings are wound upon tubes the coils being usually built up
into the form of a cylinder with coned ends and it is to the apparatus which controls
this building up that my invention relates. In such apparatus a rocking lever is
employed to alternately disengage two detents which in turn hold a second rocking
lever which acts upon the reversing motion at the times when the direction of
movement of the rising and falling rail is to be reversed such reversal taking place
on the disengagement of one or the other of the two detents. Previously to my
invention the two rocking levers have been mounted upon one centre. In place of
this construction I mount the second named or reversing lever upon a centre which
is situated below the axis of the first named or detent releasing lever the said
reversing lever being formed with a head shaped to clear the boss of the detent
releasing lever or the bearing of the rack pinion shaft which passes through the
same. By this construction I am enabled to provide longer bosses or bearings for
the two levers so that they work more steadily. As the parts with which the
detents engage are further removed from the axis of the reversing lever the
detaining strain is less and as a consequence the wear and tear of the parts and
the margin for error in time of action is lessened.
I am also enabled to use a larger ratchet wheel which may have thirty or more
teeth as required and thereby obtain a more extensive range of regulation. The
said ratchet wheel is connected with the rack pinion shaft by means of spur wheels.
The range of regulation may be still further increased by changing these spur
wheels for others differing in relative proportions.
Dated this 27th day of August 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shortening and Reversing Motions for Machines
used in the Preparation of Textile Materials.
I JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON of Pollard Street, in the City of Manchester,
County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer and Machinist 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 and
accompanying drawings :-
My invention relates principally to machinery used in the preparation of cotton
for spinning and particularly to the machines known as roving and slubbing
frames.
In such machines the rovings are wound upon tubes the coils being usually built
up into the form of a cylinder with coned ends and it is to the apparatus which
controls this "building up" that my invention relates. In such apparatus a rocking
lever is employed to alternately disengage two detents which in turn hold a second

page_text: rocking lever which acts upon the reversing motion at the times when the direction
of movement of the rising and falling rail is to be reversed such reversal taking
place on the disengagement of one or the other of the two detents.
Previously to my invention the two rocking levers have been mounted upon one
centre. In place of this construction I mount the second named or reversing lever
upon a centre which is situated below the axis of the first named or detent releasing
lever the said reversing lever being formed with a head shaped to clear the boss of
the detent releasing lever or the bearing of the rack pinion shaft which passes
through the same.
In order that the nature and extent of my invention may be clearly under-
stood I will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
In the said drawings Fig. 1 represents a front elevation Fig. 2 a side elevation
and Fig. 3 a back clevation of my improved "building motion."
In the said figs. a is the first named rocking lever which I will term the upper
rocking lever and is the second rocking lever which I will term the lower rocking
lever.
These two levers are mounted upon two separate axes instead of being mounted
upon one axis as is usual.
The "diminishing" rack rod c slides in bearings formed upon the lever a and is
actuated by the slotted bracket which rises and falls with the bobbin rail as is
usual. The lever a is mounted to rock upon a boss which is formed upon a bracket e
which is bolted to a rail forming part of the framing of the machine. In the said
bracket is mounted a shaft g which passes through the said boss so that the lever u
and the shaft g turn upon the same axis. In a second bracket e¹ is mounted a
second shaft and upon a boss formed on this bracket the lower lever bis mounted
so that such lower lever and the shaft h turn upon the same axis. The two shafts
are connected by the spur wheels i i.
The front end of the shaft g is connected by bevel gearing ; with the upright
shaft which is actuated by the ordinary rack bar which is connected with the
belt guide of the cone driving drums as is usual.
Upon the back end of the shaft g is fixed a pinion g' which gears with the rack
teeth upon the rod c. Upon the front end of the shaft h is fixed a ratchet wheel /¹
which is controlled in its rotary movements by the detents kk' as is usual. The
foot of the lower rocking lever projects forward through an opening in the rail f
and acts upon the upper arm of the lever which is mounted to rock upon a stud
and is jointed to a connecting rod 12 which actuates the ordinary reversing motion in
the usual manner. The foot also operates the detents k in the usual manner
by acting alternately upon the adjustable studs k² 3. The upper rocking lever a is
provided with the usual adjustable hooks m m¹ which are connected by chains m² m³
with lower hooks n n' which pass through holes in the arms 62 63 on the lower
lever and take hold of a bar o.
A spring pengages with this bar at a point midway between the connection with
the hooks n n' and tends to draw downward the said bar. The strain upon the said
bar is transferred by the said hooks to the lever at the times when the collars n²
upon the hooks bear upon the arms of the said lever but at times the strain upon
one side of the lever is relieved by reason of the tightening of the chain connecting
the upper and lower hooks on such side so that the tension of the spring acts upon
one arm only of the lever b and tends to turn the lever upon its axis as in the
ordinary motion.
This movement of the lever is resisted by one or the other of the two detents r
which are mounted upon fulcrum studs 2 and alternately engage with shoulders
upon the head of the lever b as is usual a spring t or suitable springs acting upon
the detents and imparting thereto a tendency to hold the head 6. The said detents
are alternately "knocked off" or disengaged by the two adjustable screws s s
which are carried by the rocking frame a as is usual.
In order that the head 6 may extend above the axis of the upper rocking

page_text: lever a the said head is made large enough to encircle the boss in which the
shaft is mounted and the said head is formed with a hole which clears the
said boss sufficiently to permit of the necessary to and fro rocking movements
of the lever b. The action of the motion may be described as follows. In the
drawings the parts are in the positions assumed when the bobbin rail has
reached the end of the "lift" and the direction of motion has been reversed.
The bobbin rail would then commence its falling movement and the lever a
would be turned by the rod in the direction indicated by the arrows and the
chain m² would be slackened. As the bobbin rail neared the point of required
reversal the chain m³ would be tightened so that the arm 63 would be relieved
from the strain arising from the spring p the arm alone bearing such strain.
The lower end of the screws would then bear upon the tail of the detent
and would turn such detent upon its fulcrum until the head 6 would be released.
The tension of the spring acting upon the arm 2 would then cause the lever />
to turn upon its axis. This movement of the said lever would have the effect
of turning the lever upon its fulcrum so as to draw the reversing rod 12 in
the indicated direction and of knocking off the detent k¹ and at the same time
bringing into action the other detent . The shaft would thus be permitted
to turn slightly upon its axis whereby the shafts g and j' would be turned the
ordinary effect being produced upon the rack rod c and the rack bar connected
with the cone drum belt guide.
I am
By the improved construction of the motion I am enabled to provide longer
bearings for the two levers a and b so that they work more steadily. As the
shoulders upon the head with which the detents engage are further removed from
the axis of the lever & the detaining strain is less and as a consequence the wear
and tear of the parts and the margin for error in time of action are lessened.
also enabled to use a larger ratchet wheel which may have thirty or more teeth as
required and thereby obtain a more extensive range of regulation. The increase
in the size of the ratchet wheel is also attended with the advantage that there is
less strain upon the teeth of the wheel and upon the detents and therefore less wear
and deterioration of such parts.
The range of regulation may be still further increased by changing the spur
wheels i for others differing in relative proportions so that the shaft g may be
caused to revolve at a higher or a lower rate of speed than the shaft has may be
desirable.
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.) The combination of parts of the improved construction and arrangement
substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
2.) The two shafts g h connected by gearing the lever a mounted to rock upon
the axis of the shaft g and carrying the hooks m m' and screws ss and the lever b
mounted to rock upon the axis of the shaft h in combination with the rack rod c
the ratchet wheel h¹ the detents k k₁ the hooks n' n² the connecting chains m² m³ the
lever 7 and rod 12 substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
3.) The lever mounted to rock upon a boss which is bored to receive the shaft /
and formed with a head 6 which encircles and clears a boss which is bored to
receive an upper shaft y in combination with detents for holding the said lever and
with parts for releasing the lever and for turning it upon its axis substantially as
and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
Dated this 27th day of May 1891
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James' Square, Manchester, Agents.