IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF WOOL, SILK, FLAX, AND MOHAIR TO BE SPUN
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thornton Littlewood and Charles Littlewood,
of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Woollen Manufacturers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
USED IN THE PREPARATION OF WOOL, SILK, FLAX, AND MOHAIR TO BE
SPUN."
Sealed the 27th April 1853, and dated the 1st March 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thornton Little-
wood and Charles Littlewood at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 1st March 1853.
We, THORNTON LITTLEWOOD and CHARLES LITTLEWOOD, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF WOOL, SILK, FLAX,
AND MOHAIR TO BE SPUR" to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates particularly to a process of preparing the wool
for feeding the scribbler or carding engine. The method now generally
adopted is to spread the wool on a cloth arranged for the purpose at

page_text: the front of the scribbler, the said cloth by its continuous forward
motion carrying the wool so spread on it to the cards on the rollers,
which process is well known to all persons conversant with woollen
manufactures. Now, it is obvious that it must be one person's work
to convey and spread the wool on the aforesaid cloth to feed one
scribbler, which labour we partially avoid or economize by our improved
machine or apparatus, as by the arrangement hereafter explained one
person will be capable of attending to the feeding of two, three, or more
of the said scribblers, thus economizing labour and expense.
We propose then to prepare or spread tho wool by a separate
machine or apparatus, which, by a particular arrangement of me-
chanism, we form into rolls, or, in other words, we lap on to rollers,
and then convey such rolls of wool with the rollers to the scribbler,
and fix them on suitable bearings at the front of it. We then pass
this cloth from the roller with the wool on it to the rollers of the
scribbler, which by their revolving motion take up or draw the said
wool, already evenly spread, to or between the cards; thus causing the
scribbler to feed itself, or what may be technically called a self-acting
feeder. The arrangement of mechanism by which we place or spread
the wool on the roller to be conveyed to the scribbler is as follows:
On a suitable frame we fix a shaft, with fast and loose pulleys on one
end, by which the rest of the machinery is turned or put in motion
by means of a belt or strap from some primary mover, in the usual
manner. At the opposite end of this frame we fix on bearings two
fluted rollers, and upon them another roller, which we call the lap or
taking-up roller, and which may be fluted or not as found most con-
venient, to which is attached a cloth passing over the whole frame.
On this cloth the wool is spread, and, as the last-mentioned roller
revolves with the cloth, takes up the wool so spread on it, and by a
continuous and uniform motion spreads it and rolls it with the cloth
on the said roller to any convenient size or diameter, when it is taken
out of the said frame, and conveyed to the front of the scribbler, where
it revolves on suitable bearings, and feeds the machine without much,
any, attention or manual labour, as before stated. It will be evident
to all mechanics that the principal difficulty in obtaining the uniform
if

page_text: and continuous motion of this machine is in regulating the speed of
the lap or taking-up roller, and allowing it free action as it increases
in diameter; we propose to accomplish as follows.
On the first-mentioned or driving shaft, between the pulleys and
frame, we fix an excentric or similar contrivance, so that at every revo-
lution of the said shaft the excentric presses down a forked lever, the
forked end falling upon a toothed wheel which is fixed on the end;
another shaft crossing the frame at the opposite end, or the end
where the lap or taking-up roller is fixed. This lap or taking-up
roller rests and rises in an irregular-shaped slot, in an upright or per-
pendicular plate fixed to the frame; the fork end of the said lever,
falling upon the said toothed wheel, turns it just as many teeth as are
necessary to correspond with the diameter of the lap or taking-up
roller; and, as the said roller must increase in diameter as the cloth
and wool are rolled upon it, the fork will gradually take hold of a less
portion of the periphery of the said wheel until it has none at all to
take, when the motion must cease, and a new roller be put in. The
rising motion of the taking-up roller in the said irregular-shaped slot
is obtained from a pinion on the same shaft as the aforesaid toothed
wheel, which pinion works into other toothed wheels of smaller diameter
fixed on the aforesaid plate, one above another, as high as the slot, so
as to give motion to the lap or taking-up roller until it reaches the
top of the slot, when it is evident the motion must stop and a new roller
be put in.
We also propose to regulate the speed of the aforesaid motions at
pleasure, by means of another lever working from the shaft of the
taking-up roller, and communicating a stop or regulating motion to the
forked lever before mentioned.
We desire it to be distinctly understood that this is merely an out-
line description of this our Invention, which we will more fully describe
in our Complete Specification.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thornton Littlewood and Charles Littlewood, in
the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 1st September 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
THORNTON LITTLEWOOD and CHARLES LITTLEWOOD, of Rochdale, in the
County of Lancaster, Woollen Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Thornton Littlewood and Charles Littlewood,
Her especial licence that we, the said Thornton Littlewood and
Charles Littlewood, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Thornton Littlewood and Charles Littlewood, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF WOOL, SILK,
FLAX, AND MOHAIR TO BE SPUN," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Thornton Littlewood and Charles Littlewood, by an
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us, 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 Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thornton Littlewood and
Charles Littlewood, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is
to col

page_text: Our Invention relates to an improved method or process of pre-
paring the wool or other material for feeding the scribbler or carding.
engine. The method now generally adopted is to spread the wool on
a cloth arranged for the purpose at the front of the scribbler or carding
engine, which cloth, by its continuous forward motion, carries the wool
or material so spread on it to the cards on the rollers, which process is
well known to all persons conversant with woollen or worsted manu-
facture. It is obvious that by this process one person will be required
for each scribbler or carding engine to convey and spread the wool or
material on the cloth, which labour we partially avoid or economize by
our improved machine or apparatus making one person capable of
attending to the feeding of two, three, or more of the said scribblers
or carding engines. By our improved machine or apparatus we
prepare or spread the wool or material, previous to its being taken
to the scribbler or carding engine, by forming it into rolls, or, in other
words, by spreading it on a cloth and lapping it on rollers; and we'then
convey such rolls of wool or material, with the roller on which it is
lapped, to the scribbler or carding engine, and fix it on suitable
bearings at the front of it. We then pass this cloth, with the wool
or material on it, to the rollers of the scribbler or carding engine,
which, by their revolving motion, take up or draw the said wool or
material, already evenly spread, to or between the cards; thus causing
the scribbler to feed itself, or what is technically called a self-acting
feeder. The arrangement of mechanism by which we place or spread
the wool or material on the cloth and roller to be fixed at the front of
the scribbler or carding engine is as follows:-On the driving-shaft,
between the pulleys and frames, we fix excentrics, tappets, or similar
contrivances, so that at every revolution of the said shaft there is
pressed down a compound lever, furnished with a ratchet, acting upon
a ratchet wheel fixed upon another shaft crossing the frame near the
lap or taking-up roller. This lap or taking-up roller turns and rises
in irregular-shaped slots, made in plates or standards on both sides of
the frame. The ratchet of the said lever, acting upon the ratchet
wheel, turns as many teeth as are necessary to correspond with the
diameter of the lap or taking-up roller; and, as the said roller must

page_text: encrease in diameter as the cloth and material are rolled upon it, the
ratchet will gradually take hold of a less portion of the periphery of
the said ratchet wheel until the eccentrics or tappets cease to have
effect; then the taking up is completed, and the roller can be removed.
The rising of the lap or taking-up roller is caused by its encrease of
diameter, but its revolution is obtained by the action of the ratchet
wheel, upon the shaft of which is a pinion giving motion to a serics
of toothed wheels, one above the other, as high as the slots in the
standards or plates, and one on the shaft of the taking-up roller.
The shaft of the slots, being in conformity with the exterior of the
wheels on the plate, forces the wheel of the lap roller into gear
with the series of toothed wheels at all parts, thus giving the lap
roller motion until it reaches the top of the slot.
These motions, and the peculiar construction of the said machine
or apparatus, will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying sheet of Drawings, on which the same letters of reference are
used to represent similar parts where different views or diagrams are
shown. Fig. 1, is a side elevation of our improved machine or appa-
ratus; Fig. 2, a front elevation thereof; and Fig. 3, a plan. Fig. 4,
shows another mode of giving uniform motion to the circumference of
the lap roller; Fig. 5, another method of attaining the said motion; and
Fig. 6, a detached view of the levers and weights for obtaining resistance
to the vertical movement of the lap roller; and Fig. 7, shews another
mode of obtaining the same. a, a, represents the main frames, to
which are bolted the side frames b, b, having their faces plain, whilst
the other side frames c, c, have their faces corrugated or irregular; thus
forming an irregular-shaped slot, in which the shaft d, of the lap or
taking-up roller c, turns, and moves up and down: this form of slot is
for the purpose of forcing the spur wheel A, in the shaft d, as it rises
into the spur wheel o; thus obtaining motion at all positions of the lap
roller. At f, f, are two plated rollers or cylinders for the lap roller e,
to rest upon, so as to form an abutment or resistance, and cause the
lap roller to rise upwards as it encreases in diameter. The cloth g,
which holds the material to be lapped, is first coiled upon a shaft or
cylinder in any convenient position, as at h; it then passes over the

page_text: breast beam i, and is attached to the lap roller ; thus forming an
apron upon which the material is placed in order to be lapped on.
From any prime mover a belt or strap is carried to the fast and loose
pulleys, on the driving shaft 1, turning in bearings fixed on the main
frames a. The motion of the lap roller is continually decreasing in
speed in proportion as its circumference increases, which we effect as
follows: Towards the end of and fast to the shaft l, is a lever or
tappet m, which at each revolution comes in contact with and gives
motion to a beam or bell-crank lever n, turning on its fulcrum o, having
a counter weight at p. To a joint at q, is a catch or ratchet r', which
acts upon the ratchet wheel s, which is furnished with a detent or
catch at t. At the commencement of the taking up, when the lap
roller must turn at its greatest speed, the point of contact u, of the bell-
crank lever n, is at its shortest distance from the centre of the driving
shaft, and consequently receives its longest motion from the action of
the tappet m. The distance of the point of contact u, is uniformly
encreased by the depression of the end v, of the lever w, turning on its
fulcrum, having its upper end, resting on the shaft d, of the lap roller,
rising with it, and depressing the part in contact with the tappet in a
corresponding proportion; thus causing an uniform decrease of the
motion of the bell-crank lever 1, the ratchet, ratchet wheel, train
of spur wheels, and lap roller. In order to take up as much material
as possible, we apply pressure to the shaft of the lap roller. Towards
the ends and middle of the said shaft we suspend the rods y, (seen
also in Fig. 6.) which are attached to the levers =, turning upon
the fulcrum a', in the slides b', and furnished with the weights c'.
In Fig. 6, the arrangement is somewhat different, as, to the lovers <,
are applied a series of compound levers to keep the slides &', in a
vertical position, and give them additional pressure. At Fig. 7, is
shewn another mode of attaining the necessary resistance to the
vertical movement of the lap roller. At c', is a shaft turning in bear-
ings on the main frames a, which shaft is furnished with the break
wheels d', around which are coiled the ropes or chains e', one end of
which is fixed in any convenient position; and the other end, after
encircling a small drum, is fastened to the ratchet wheel g³, to which

page_text: the said drums are fixed: these drums and ratchet wheels turn upon
pins in the lever h', and acted upon by the catches i, and weights k';
thus tightening the ropes or chains e¹, and causing the required amount of
resistance to the vertical movement of the lap roller, which is connected
to the shaft c', by means of the chains e', and the drums m. Fig. 4,
shews another mode of giving uniform motion to the circumference of
the lap roller. At both ends of the shaft d, are spur wheels n', driven by
pinions o', connected to ratchet wheels p', and moving simultaneously.
The bearings of these wheels and pinions are so connected that they
rise together with the shaft d. Motion is given to the ratchet wheels
by means of the catches and rods q', moved by the eccentrics ¹, on the
driving shaft. As the ratchet wheels with the lap roller rise there are a
less number of teeth exposed to be taken up, and consequently the motion
continually decreases. At Fig. 5, is another mode of giving uniform
motion to the circumference of the lap roller. At one end of the
driving shaft is an eccentric », which gives motion horizontally to the
rod s', the lever t, preventing much vertical movement. The rod s,
gives motion to a lever ', one side consisting of a long slot, and
turning upon the shaft v¹, of the ratchet wheel w. The lover ', is
furnished with a catch or ratchet a³, to give motion to the ratchet
wheel. Upon the shaft v', are two pinions at cach side of the machine
working into spur wheels y', which again work into spur wheels 2¹,
which are keyed on the shaft of the lap roller. The bearings of these
pinions are so arranged that they move vertically with the lap roller,
but it is only the shaft v', which extends across the machine. At the
commencement of the operation, when the lever u', is at its lowest
position, the eccentric and rod give the greatest motion to the ratchet
and ratchet wheel, but which motion is uniformly decreasing as the
distance from v¹, to the end of the eccentric rod encreases by the rising
of the lap roller and its train of wheels. When the lap roller has
upon the brackets a. In
completed its taking up, it is gently lowered
order to have command over and facilitate the descent of the weights c³,
the levers z, are furnished with chains or ropes, having their ends coiling
over the shaft 6, and their slack taken up by a small balance weight :
these coils act as breaks, and prevent the sudden descent of the levers

page_text: and weights when the lap roller is removed. We also obtain command
to lower these levers and weights by the bevel wheel &, and the
handle &*.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of our said
Invention, we desire it to be distinctly understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the precise details herein described, as such may
be varied or modified without departing from the principle thereof; but
we claim as of our Invention, and which to the best of our knowledge
and belief has not been hitherto used within this realm, the general
arrangement and construction of mechanism, as herein-described and
illustrated, for taking up the wool or material, spreading it on the
apron, and lapping it on the lap roller, by an uniform motion accommo-
dating itself to the increasing size of the lap roller.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thornton Littlewood and Charles
Littlewood, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirtieth
day of August, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
THORNTON LITTLEWOOD. (LS.)
CHARLES LITTLEWOOD. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by both the
said parties hereto, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent, Manchester.