Im- PROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Law and Abraham Crossley, both of
Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON OR
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 21th October 1871, and dated the 3rd May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Law and
Abraham Crossley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 3rd May 1871.
We, JOSEPH LAW and ABRAHAM CROSSLEY, both of Rochdale, in the
County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON
OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
66
The Invention relates to mechanism for regulating the action of the
top faller wire," which effects the stripping of the coils of yarn from
the point of the spindles above the "cop" at the end of each "stretch"
of the spindle carriage previously to the winding on of the yarn by the
going in of the carriage, the object of the Invention being to prevent

page_text: the breakage of the yarns or threads which is frequently caused by the
sudden action of the "faller wire," and also to prevent the occurrence
of "snarls" owing to the slackness of the yarn at the commencement of
the winding on.
Instead of using the ordinary "stripping plate" which vibrates on a
centre, I employ a stripping plate capable of sliding horizontally, and
in connection with this plate I have a regulating plate also sliding
horizontally, and having a double inclined upper surface, upon which
rests a stud fixed in a slot of a bracket attached to the faller shaft.
This plate is moved horizontally by the carriage coming into contact
with a stud, and the bracket which carries this stud is moved further
from the said carriage, so as to decrease the action of the regulating
plate on the faller as the length of the cop increases by the action of
the ordinary "cop builder" or shaping plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Law and Abraham Crossley in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 3rd November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRES. NTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPII
LAW and ABRAHAM CROSSLEY, both of Rochdale, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Joseph Law and Abraham Crossley, Her special
license that we, the said Joseph Law and Abraham Crossley, our
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Joseph Law and Abraham Crossley, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter 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 SELF-ACTING MULES
FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Joseph Law and Abraham

page_text: Crossley, our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or one of our or their, or one of their hands and scals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 Joseph Law, on behalf of myself
and the said Abraham Crossley, do hereby declare the nature of the
said 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 (that is to say):-
"
This Invention relates to mechanism for regulating the action of
the under or "counterfaller" which effects the stripping of the coils of
yarn from the points of the spindles above the "cop" at the end of cacli
"stretch of the spindle carriage previously to the winding on of the
yarn by the going in of the carriage, the object of the Invention being
to prevent the breakage of the yarns or threads, which is frequently
caused by the sudden action of the "counterfaller," and also to prevent
the occurrence of "snarls" owing to the slackness of the yarn at tho
commencement of the winding on.
Instead of using the ordinary "stripping plate" which vibrates on a
centre we employ a stripping plate capable of sliding horizontally, and
in connection with this plate we have a regulating plate, also sliding
horizontally, and having an inclined upper surface upon which rests a
stud fixed in a slot of a bracket attached to the counterfaller shaft.
This regulating plate is moved horizontally by the crank lever on the
carriage coming into contact with a stud or bowl on the spinner's arm,
and the slide which carries the plate is moved nearer to the counter-
faller shaft so as to decrease the action of the regulating plate on the
faller as the length of the cop increases; this movement being effected
by the action of the ordinary "cop builder" or "shaping plate," the
result being that as the length of the cop increases and consequently
the coils upon the top of the spindle above the cop become fewer the
counterfaller is not lifted so high and therefore does not pull any yarn
off the top of the cop, as is the case with the ordinary arrangement.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention of Improve-
ments in Self-acting Mules for Spinning and Doubling Cotton or other
Fibrous Substances," we will now proceed to describe more in detail

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly under-
stood we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof,
and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following explanation thercof:-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of so much of a self-acting mule as is necessary.
to illustrate the application of our Invention thereto, a, a, being part
of the framing of the headstock; b, b, the spindle carriage; and c, c,
one of the spindles; and d, d, the drawing rollers. This view shows
the position of the apparatus when the carriage has completed about
one half of its stretch, and shortly after the commencement of a set of
cops.
Fig. 2 shows the completion of the stretch, the counterfaller having
just stripped the coils of yarn off the point of the spindle; Fig. 3 shows
the apparatus ready to commence winding on by the going in of the
carriage, the faller being entirely released from the stripping plate and
regulating plate, the tension of the yarn being effected solely by the
action of the counterweights and springs. Fig. 4 is a similar view to
Fig. 2, with the exception that the cop is shown as completed, the action
of the counterfaller being then at its minimum; Fig. 5 is a plan view
of the apparatus.
e, e, is the faller, and ƒ, ƒ, the counterfaller fixed on its shaft g, g.
To this shaft is also fixed a bracket or lever g*, g*, having a slot in
which is fixed a pin carrying a bowl h, h; i, i, is the stripping plate
capable of sliding horizontally; and k, k, is the regulating plate sliding
also in a similar manner.
"
It will be seen on referring to Fig. 1 that the counterfaller f, f, is
held in its lowest position by the bowl h, h, resting upon the stripping
plate i, i, but as it completes its stretch a stud 1, 1, on the "spinner's
arm m, m, comes into contact with the bracket n, n, which carrics the
stripping plate and pushes it from under the bowl, allowing the latter to
fall on to the surface of the regulating plate k, k, (as shown at Fig. 2),
and the counterfaller consequently riscs to its highest position and
strips the coils of yarn off the point of the spindles.
It will be seen on referring to Fig. 2 that when the cop is at or near
its commencement the bowl h, h, falls. on to the lowest part of the incline
of the regulating plate, and hence the action of the counterfaller is at
its maximum point, but as the length of the cop increases it is necessary

page_text: that the amount of rise of the counterfaller should gradually decrease in
proportion, and this we effect by the following means:-A bowl on the
lower end of the crank lever o, o, rests upon the ordinary cop builder or
shaping plate p, p, and a stud q, q, near the upper end of the same takes
into a slot on the bracket or slide r, r, which carries the regulating
plate k, k. The action of this stud q, q, at the commencement of the
cop is as follows:-Just as the carriage has completed its stretch the
stud 8, 8, on the spinner's arm m, m, comes into contact with the crank
The
lever o, o, giving it the movement required to lock the fallers.
stud q, q, fixed to the crank lever pushes the regulating plate away from
the bowl, h, of the counterfaller, as shown at Fig. 3, when the tension
of the threads by the counterfaller is effected by the counterweight and
springs, and the carriage is ready to commence going in to wind on the
yarn.
As the building of the cop progresses the cop builder or shaping
plate p, p, is gradually lowered (as is well understood by spinners), the
effect of which will be that the crank lever o, o, instead of being in
the position shown at Fig. 2 at the end of the stretch will gradually
become more perpendicular (as shown at Fig. 4), and hence the
stud q, q, will push the regulating plate nearer towards the counter-
faller shaft at the time the stripping plate is pushed away, and consc-
quently the bowl h, h, will fall on to a higher part of the regulating
plate, and thus the lift of the counterfaller will be diminished. As the
faller e, e, is raised by the action of the ordinary rack slide t, t, the
spring u, u, causes the lever v, v, to throw back the stripping plate i, i,
into its original position, the regulating plate being similarly moved by
the return action of the crank lever o, o.
The locking of the fallers during the going in of the carriage is
effected in the usual manner, and they are unlocked on approaching the
rollers by the usual cam plate w, w, (see Fig. 1.)
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, we would remark in conclusion
that we claim as our Invention, the novel construction and application
of the sliding stripping plate and regulating plate and their appliances,
as herein-before particularly described and illustrated by the accom-
panying Drawings, or any mere modification or imitation thereof,

page_text: constructed and operating in substantially the same or a similar
manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Law, on behalf of myself
and the said Abraham Crossley, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witnessed by
GEORGE DAVIES, O.E.,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
JOSEPH LAW. (L.S.)