IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Morris, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the
County of Lancaster, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING."
Sealed the 26th January 1869, and dated the 26th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Morris at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th August 1868.
I, SAMUEL MORRIS, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING," to be as
follows:-
In self-acting mules of the present construction it is customary to
employ a radial arm, a quadrant, a winding-on chain, chain drum,
wheels and catches for regulating the winding of the yarn on the
spindles.
Now my Invention consists in dispensing with the said parts, and in
regulating the winding on in the following manner:-The rim band is
taken over a grooved pulley fixed on a shaft driven by strap and pulleys

page_text: from the present driving apparatus. On the tin drum shaft is a pulley
to which a break is applied; this break is connected to a weighted lever,
the position of which is governed by the counterfaller. When the
counterfaller is depressed by the yarn the break is applied, thereby
checking the velocity of the spindles according to the thickness of the
cop. When the carriage is near the roller beam the break is taken
off the break pulley by a lever with an incline, the said lever coming
against a bracket on the floor or other fixture. When the carriage is
out the break lever is released by the backing-off change shaft, or other
convenient part of the headstock.
By these improvements the construction of the machine is considerably
simplified, the winding on is performed with greater accuracy and ease
to the yarn, and the attention of the operative is reduced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Morris in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
MORRIS, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Morris, Her special
license that I, the said Samuel Morris, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Morris, 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
SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Morris, my executors or ad-
ministrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the

page_text: 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 I, the said Samuel Morris, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 say) :-
In self-acting mules of the present construction it is customary to
employ a radial arm, a quadrant, a winding-on chain, chain drum,
wheels and catches for regulating the winding of the yarn on the
spindles.
Now my Invention consists in dispensing with the said parts, and
in regulating the winding on in the following manner:-The rim band
is taken over a grooved pulley fixed on a shaft driven by strap and
pulleys from the present driving apparatus, or otherwise. On the tin
drum shaft or other shaft connected therewith is a pulley to which a
break is applied; this break is connected to a weighted lever, the
position of which is governed by the counterfaller. When the counter-
faller is depressed by the yarn the break is applied, thereby checking
the velocity of the spindles according to the thickness of the cop.'
When the carriage is near the roller beam the break is taken off the
break pulley by a lever with an incline, the said lever coming against
a bracket on the floor or other fixture. When the carriage is out the
break lever is released by the backing off change shaft, or other con-
venient part of the headstock.
By this improvement the construction of the machine is considerably
simplified, the winding on is performed with greater accuracy and ease.
to the yarn, and the attention of the operative is reduced.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily.
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters:
marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a side view of part of a self-acting mule to which my
improvements are applied; Figure 2 is a front view of part of the same.
a, a, are the frames of the headstock of the mule; 6 is the rim band

page_text: pulley shaft; c, the rim band pulley; d is the front drawing roller;
e, the roller beam; f, the carriage square; g, the shaft of the tin drum
for driving the spindles; h is the faller shaft, and i the counterfaller
shaft; the parts above enumerated and the others requisite to complete
the mule that are not particularly referred to hereafter are made in the
usual manner. The dotted line k represents the shaft of the ordinary
driving apparatus; on this shaft is fixed the pulley k¹, which by means
of the strap drives the fast pulley 7 and loose pulley on the shaft
supported in bearings fixed to the back of the headstock or other con-
venient part of the headstock; to this shaft is also fixed the grooved
pulley. The rim band which passes round the pulley and rim band
pulley c gives motion to the tin drum shaft g during the winding on, as
will be described hereafter. The shaft may be driven from a pulley
connected to any convenient part of the headstock. By this mode of
driving the spindles during the winding on the scroll boxes and quadrant
and scroll bands are relieved from a considerable strain. To the shaft g
is fixed the break pulley g', to which the break m is applied; this break
consists of a flexible band, one end of which is attached to a bracket
secured to the carriage square f, and the other end is attached to the
short end of the weighted lever n whose fulcrum is at n'; this lever is
connected to the counterfaller shaft i by the chain 12, the swivel socket 11,
and lever. The length of this chain n² can be varied by the regulating
screw and wing nut at the upper end of the socket . The lever n is
held up by the set screw n³, the point of which rests upon the incline at
the top of the lever o, which is hinged at o' to the front of the carriage
square f. The lever o is provided with a retaining stud, which is held
against the catch p by the spring o; this catch is jointed to the same
bracket as the lever n. The end of the catch p projects over the lever q
fixed to the ordinary backing-off change shaft q', or other convenient
part of the mule, and to this shaft is fixed the usual lever q³ connected
to the faller lock, which is hinged to a bent lever keyed as usual to the
faller shaft h. To the lever q' is fixed the arm q³, which when the
carriage is out comes under the vertical latch r, which is capable of
sliding up and down in staples fixed to the front of the headstock; near
the upper end of this latch is the regulating screw r', the object of
which is to govern the lateral motion of the side rod 8 which extends
from the front of the headstock to the back, where it is jointed to the
strap fork levert which guides the strap k². The side rod s is held up
against the end of the latch by the spring.

page_text: The mode of operation is as follows, and the Drawing represents the
parts in the positions they occupy when the carriage is going out:-
After the carriage has got to the end of the stretch, and when the
backing-off is completed, the faller lock is raised in the usual manner,
and the arm q³ which at that time is under the latch r lifts the upper
end of the said latch beyond the end of the side rod 8, which is then
drawn forward by the spring * until it comes against the head of the
regulating screw r¹; this forward motion of the rod s moves the strap
fork lever t, and brings the strap partly on the pulley fast on the
shaft ; the rim band is thereby put in motion to effect the winding on.
When the arm q³ is raising the latch the lever q is lifting the latch p
off the retaining stud in the lever o; the spring o' then draws the lower
end of the lever o against the carriage square, and the incline at the
upper end of the lever o being withdrawn from under the screw n³
allows the weighted end of the lever n to drop, thereby applying the
break m to the pulley g'. When the carriage has arrived close to the
roller beam the side rods is drawn back by a projection on the carriage
acting on the finger & projecting from the side rod, and the arm q³ being
at this time removed from under the latch r allows the said latch to drop
into its former position. The lower end of the lever o when the carriage
is up comes in contact with the bracket u fixed to the floor, thereby
causing the lever o to resume its former vertical position, and causing
the incline at the upper end of the lever o to raise up the weighted end
of the said lever n, and thereby to release the break m from the pulley g¹.
When the lever o regains its vertical position the catch p drops on the
retaining stud by which the lever o is held in position. During the
winding on and when the carriage is running in the lever n is suspended
by the chain n², consequently when the tension of the yarn becomes too
great the counterfaller is depressed in the ordinary manner; this
depression of the counterfaller allows the weighted end of the lever n to
descend and raises the shorter end, thereby applying the break to the
pulley g', and reducing the amount of winding on according to the
thickness of the cop.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the details given, as the break pulley g' instead of

page_text: connected to the tin drum shaft, and the positions of the levers n and o
may also be varied, and I declare that I claim,-
First. The improved mode of driving the spindles during the winding
on by means of a strap and pulleys driven direct from the present
ordinary driving apparatus, or otherwise, as shewn and described.
And, secondly. The improved combination of machinery described for
regulating the winding of the yarn on the spindles, whereby the radial
arm, the quadrant, the winding-on chain, and the chain drum with its
wheels and catches are dispensed with.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Morris, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
SAMUEL MORRIS. (L.S.)