IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Pearson and Robert Rumney, both of
Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING
Sealed the 20th February 1872, and dated the 12th September 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Pearson and
Robert Rumney at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th September 1871.
We, JAMES PEARSON and ROBERT RUMNEY, both of Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING
COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
"
This Invention is designed for the purpose of effecting the "winding
on of the yarn to the spindles and to dispense with the use of the
quadrant and strapping motion which are at present in use for that
purpose.

page_text: "
The Invention consists principally in the use of a winding on drum
of a peculiar form in connection with a chain of about double the
usual length. The winding on drum is made partly cylindrical and
partly in the form of a fusee and in commencing a set of cops about
the ordinary length of chain is coiled on to the cylindrical part of the
drum which is mounted as usual in the " "square of the carriage
and as the latter runs in it drives the spindles at the proper speed for
the commencement of the cop. As the diameter of the cops increases
however the remainder of the chain is gradually wound on to the
increasing diameter of the fusee and hence drives the spindles at a
proportionally diminished speed, but always finishing off at the quicker
speed as the chain is delivered off the cylindrical part as the carriage
approaches the rollers.
The gradual coiling of the chain on to the fusce formed part of the
drum is effected as follows :-One end of the chain being attached to the
cylindrical part of the winding on drum at the end furthest from the
fusce the chain is coiled round the said part till it reaches the com-
mencement of the fusee. This takes up about half of the chain. The
latter then passes round a carrier pulley fixed on the headstock, and
thence round a pulley carried by a nut travelling on a screw and then
back again to a stud fixed to the headstock above the carrier pulley to
which stud the other end is attached. At the commencement of a set
of cops this nut is at the end of the screw furthest from the stud and
thus takes up all the slack of the chain, but each time the carriage
runs in the faller or other convenient part thereof actuates a lever
which causes a catch to take up one or more teeth of a ratchet wheel
fixed on one end of the screw, so that as the spinning progresses and
the diameter of the cop increases the nut is moved along the screw,
giving out a proportionate amount of chain, which becomes gradually
coiled on to the fusee, and thus produces the required variation in the
speed of the spindles whilst winding on.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Pearson and Robert Rumney in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 12th March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
PEARSON and ROBERT RUMNEY, both of Oldham, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said James Pearson and Robert Rumney, Her special
license that we, the said James Pearson and Robert Rumney, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James
Pearson and Robert Rumney, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-
ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Pearson and
Robert Rumney, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Pearson and Robert
Rumney, 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 is designed for the purpose of effecting the "winding
on "of the yarn to the spindles and to dispense with the use of the

page_text: quadrant and strapping motion which are at present in use for that
purpose, and also to a substitute for the " nosing motion" hitherto
employed.
The Invention consists principally in the use of a winding on drum of
a peculiar form in connection with a chain of about double the usual
length. The winding on drum is made partly cylindrical and partly in
the form of a fusee, and in commencing a set of cops about the ordinary
length of chain is coiled on to the cylindrical part of the drum which
is mounted as usual in the "square" of the carriage, and as the latter
runs in it drives the spindles at the proper speed for the commencement
of the cop.
As the diameter of the cop increases however the
remainder of the chain is gradually wound on to the increasing
diameter of the fusee and hence drives the spindles at a proportionally
diminished speed, but always finishing off at the quicker speed as
the chain is delivered off the cylindrical part as the carriage approaches
the rollers.
.
The gradual coiling of the chain on to the fusee formed part of the
drum is effected as follows:-One end of the chain being attached to
the cylindrical part of the winding on drum at the end furthest from
the fusce the chain is coiled round the said part till it reaches the
commencement of the fusee. This takes up about half the chain.
The latter then passes round a carrier pulley fixed on the headstock
and thence round a pulley carried by a nut travelling on a screw and
then back again to a stud fixed to the headstock above the carrier
pulley to which stud the other end is attached. At the commencement
of a set of cops this nut is at the end of the screw furthest from the stud
and thus takes up all the slack of the chain, but each time the carriage
runs in the faller, or other convenient part thereof, actuates a lever
which causes a catch to take up one or more teeth of a ratchet wheel
fixed on one end of the screw so that as the spinning progresses and the
diameter of the cop bottom increases the nut is moved along the screw
giving out a proportionate amount of chain which becomes' gradually
coiled on to the fusee and thus produces the required variation in the
speed of the spindles whilst winding on..
A modified way of letting out the slack of the chain for the winding
to toka un is a
as follow
The look of the abain

page_text: coiled upon a sheave, to which is attached a break drum. Round this
latter passes a band break attached to a long horizontal lever. Attached
to the counterfaller shaft is a short lever carrying a friction bowl. As
the tension of the yarn increases owing to the increasing diameter of the
cop bottom it draws down the counterfaller and raises the short lever,
and as the carriage runs in to the rollers the friction bowl comes under
the long lever and raising it slightly releases the break and allows the
winding on drum to pull off as much chain as it requires and as soon
as the decreasing tension on the yarn allows the counterfaller to rise
the long lever falls into its original position and tightens the band
break and thus prevents any more chain from being pulled off the
sheave.
1
d
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for "Improve-
ments in the Construction of Self-acting Mules for Spinning Cotton or
other Fibrous Substances," we will now proceed to describe more in detail
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 in the annexed Drawing is a sectional elevation of the
spindle carriage of a mule, as much of the headstock framing being
shown as is necessary to illustrate our Invention. Fig. 2 is a plan
view of the same, the apparatus being shown in the position it assumes
during the commencement of a set of cops.
a, a, is part of the framing of the headstock; b, b, are the drawing
rollers; c, c, carriage; and d, d, spindles; e, e, is the tin roller shaft
driven in the usual manner from the winding on drum f,f. Part of this
winding on drum f*, f*, is made in the form of a fusce and to the
smaller part of this fusee one end of the long chain 9, 9, is fastened and
partly coiled on to it. The chain then passes round carrier pulleys h, h,
and round a pulley i, i, carried by a nut k, k, travelling on a screw 1, 1,
and thence back to the stud or bracket m, m, to which the other end is
fixed. In the Drawing the position of this pulley i, i, is shown at its
furthest point from the stud or bracket m, m, thus taking up about one
half of the chain, the other half being wound on to the smaller or

page_text: cylindrical part of the fusee. At each stretch however of the carriage
a finger n, n, on the counterfaller shaft comes against a click lever o, o,
and causes it to take up one or more teeth of the ratchet wheel p, p,
which by means of the bevil gearing 9, q, turns the screw 1, 1, and
moves the nut k, k, nearer to the stud or bracket m, m, and thus
gradually lets out the slack of the chain g, g, as the cop bottom.
increases in diameter. This slack is taken up and wound on to the
increasing diameter of the fusee by the following means:-' The neck ff
of the winding on drum round which the fixed cord r, r, takes one turn
is smaller in diameter than the smallest part of the fusce and hence
it has a tendency always to pull on the chain and keep it tight. As
soon as the slack is all taken up and wound on the fusee the cord r, r,
slips on the neck of the winding on drum, one end of the cord being kept
tight by a weighted lever only so that it can give way when required.
By the time that the cop bottom is finished the whole of the slack of
the chain has become wound on to the fusce formed part f*, f*, of
the drum, and the winding on then proceeds regularly till the cop is
finished.
Fig. 3 shows the arrangement whereby we are enabled to uncoil the
chain from the fusee before commencing a fresh set of cops. The wheel
s, s, is keyed fast upon its spindle and has cast or attached to it one side
of a clutch box t, t, the other half being attached to the neck of the
These two halves are kept in contact ordinarily
by a coiled spring u, u, but when it is required to uncoil the chain from
the fusce the clutch is thrown out of gear by the lever v, v.
winding on drum f, f.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate a modified way of letting out the slack of
the chain g, g. The letters from a to h refer to the same parts as in
Figs. 1 and 2.
The pulley nut and screw are here dispensed with and
the end of the chain g, g, is fixed to a sheave i, i, on to which the slack
is coiled at starting (see Fig. 4, which illustrates the position at the
commencement of a set of cops). Attached to this sheave is a break
drum k, k, round which passes a break band attached to one end of the
long horizontal lever 1, 2, which may be weighted as required by the
movable weight m, m. There is a small lever n, n, attached to the
counterfaller shaft and carrying a friction bowl o, o. At the commence-
ment of a set of cops this bowl just runs free under the lever 1, 1,
but as soon as the tension of the yarn increases, owing to the increasing

page_text: diameter of the cop bottom, it draws down the counterfaller p, p, and
raises the short lever n, n. The consequence of this is that as the
carriage goes in to the rollers the bowl o, o, comes under and raises the.
lever 1, 1, releasing the break and allowing the chain g, g, to be pulled
off the sheave, but as soon as the yarn has become sufficiently slack the
counterfaller rises and the break is applied. In Fig. 5 the cop bottom
is shown as nearly completed, the tension of the yarn having slackened
the break, the sheave nearly empty, and the chain coiled on to the
larger diameter of the fusee.
Another modification of this Invention might be made by substituting
a clip for the short lever n, n, such clip acting on an endless belt passing
over a pulley connected to and driving a screw like that shown at
Fig. 1, so that whenever the tension of the yarn drew down the counter-
faller the clip embraced the strap and drew it along with it, but as soon
as the tension decreased the clip released the strap.
:
Fig. 7 shows the ratchet and click motion for allowing the chain to be
recoiled on to the sheave at the commencement of a fresh set of cops
without raising the break lever, the ratchet wheel a, a, being attached
to the sheave and the click y, y, to the drum, the sheave will be held
from giving off any chain till the break is slackened, but it can be
turned in the reverse direction by hand so as to coil on the chain, the
click overruning the teeth of the ratchet wheel.
Fig. 8 shows the application of, a left handed fusee in which case the
chain runs off from the top and the winding on drum is driven direct
without any carrier wheel.
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
performed or carried into practical effect, we wish it to be understood
that we claim as our Invention the use or employment for regulating
the winding on of the yarn of a winding on drum of the fusee form
herein before described, in combination with a chain of about double
the ordinary length, constructed and operating substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
And, secondly, we claim the various devices herein-before described
and illustrated for giving out the extra length of chain and coiling it
gradually on to the larger diameter of the fusee as the cop bottom

page_text: increases, or any mere modification or imitation thereof constructed and
operating in substantially the same or a similar manner.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Pearson and Robert
Rumney, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Ninth
day of March, in the year of Lord One thousand eight hundred i
and seventy-two.
Witnessed by
GEORGE DAVIES, C. E.,
Patent Agent,
Manchester,
JAMES PEARSON. (L.S.)
ROBERT RUMNEY. (L.S.)