IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RINGS FOR THE RING AND TRAVELLER' SYSTEM
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS
PATENT to James Higgins, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF RINGS FOR THE RING AND TRAVELLER' SYSTEM
Sealed the 31st July 1866, and dated the 9th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Higgins at the
Office of the Commissiouers of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
February 1866.
I, JAMES HIGGINS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RINGS FOR THE RING AND TRAVELLER' SYSTEM
OF SPINNING OR TWISTING FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention refers to a method of manufacturing rings for the "
ring and
traveller system, whereby I am enabled to produce them in steel or iron
without a welded joint. To accomplish this I take a tube of drawn steel or
iron, or a tube of the said materials manufactured by other known methods
without a seam; this tube I cut into suitable lengths and produce the usual
beading or bevilling by turning; or I effect the said shaping by compression
in suitably formed dies.

page_text: Instead of cutting short lengths from a tube as aforesaid I also propose to
use ingots cast in steel in the necessary lengths.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Higgins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th
August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HIGGINS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, 'for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Higgins, Her special license that I, the said James Higgins,
iny executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Higgins, my 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 THE
MANUFACTURE OF RINGS FOR THE RING AND TRAVELLER' SYSTEM OF SPINNING OR
TWISTING FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the
said James Higgins, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain 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 the said James Higgins, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
My Invention refers to a method of manufacturing rings for the "ring
and traveller system," whereby I am enabled to produce them in steel or iron
without a welded joint. To accomplish this I take a drawn tube of steel or
iron, or a tube of the said materials manufactured by other known method
without a seam; this tube I cut into suitable lengths and produce the usual

page_text: beading or bevilling by turning; or I effect the said shaping by compression
in suitably formed dies.
By another method of effecting the object of my Invention I cast hollow
ingots in steel, such hollow ingots thus constituting lengths of tubing to be
turned or pressed as above mentioned.
The method I prefer for carrying out my Invention is as follows:-I take
a drawn tube of steel, such as is now ordinarily manufactured and known as
hydraulic drawn tubing. This I cut into short lengths, as shewn by the
dotted lines a, b, Fig. 1, one of such .short lengths being shewn at Fig 2.
This is then placed in a lathe and turned to the usual form shewn at Fig. 3,
after which it is hardened and finally polished smooth. Instead of turning,
compression may as before stated be adopted for shaping the short tube, for
which purpose it is heated and then placed in a die formed in two portions, so
that it may be opened for the subsequent withdrawal of the ring. A punch
furnished with a mandril corresponding to the internal diameter of the ring is
then forced into the die by any ordinray mechanical means, and the hot metal
is thus compressed into the required form, after which a slight turning is
required for finishing the surface; or the dies may more partially effect the
shaping to be finished by turning. In producing the short lengths by casting
I obtain them after the manner of casting ordinary steel ingots, but use a core
so as to get them as tubes; or instead of casting short lengths separately I cast
a length to be subsequently cut into the desired lengths, as in the case of the
tubing, and if such cast lengths be formed hollow, they constitute a tube of
cast steel to be treated as above described.
It will be seen that by my Invention I obtain rings without a seam and of
uniform texture, and the amount of "drag" in the "traveller" is therefore
more constant. I have above particularly alluded to steel as the material of
which the tubes are made, but iron may be substituted if desired. I have
also spoken of drawn tubes of a particular manufacture, but they may be
otherwise produced for the purpose of my Invention if without a seam, as, for
instance, by that method for which Letters Patent were granted to William
Henry Brown, dated December Thirtieth, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-four, No. 3251.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, 1 desire it to be
understood that I claim as secured to me under the above in part recited
Letters Patent,―
Firstly, producing such rings as aforesaid by the use of tubes of steel or
iron manufactured without a scam.

page_text: Secondly, producing the said rings by the use of hollow ingots or tubes of
cast steel.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Higgins, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JAMES HIGGINS. (Ls.)