Improvements in or Applicable to Self-acting Mules.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov.. 1888
Complete Specification Left 19th Aug. 1889-Accepted, 19th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Applicable to Self-acting Mules.
I, JAMES ALBINSON of 45 Kent Street, Bolton in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in or applicable to self-acting mules for
spinning cotton and other fibrous substances and consists, firstly, in providing mechanism
for operating the faller to prevent the same being interfered with when building or
forming the cop; secondly, for maintaining the position of the faller on the spindle
point before the mule carriage begins to back-off to ease the pressure of the faller
wire on the yarn; thirdly, in means to prevent snicks or snarls; fourthly, for
efficiently changing the long lever, and fifthly, in apparatus for removing the catch
from the backing-off to prevent over-pulling of the faller in case it should miss-change
at the proper time after the long lever has changed.
These accomplish in the following manner :-To the ordinary shaper slide is
attached a double ended lever by means of a stud or its equivalent: one end of the
double ended lever is fitted with a swivel block mounted on a stud; the swivel block
fitting into a slot in the bottom end of the faller leg, which allows of the latter moving
up or down as required. The opposite end of the double lever is fitted with a hook and
chain to connect it with the snail on the cylinder shaft of the mule, by which the
faller is operated.
On the said double lever is mounted a boss or pin to connect the
same with the ordinary gun-lever, the latter being fitted with a slotted bracket to
allow the double lever to rise or fall with the shaper bowl slide. To adjust the faller
leg a set screw is mounted on the double ended lever. In case the mule has no gun-
lever a rod is attached to the said boss or pin to unlock the faller.
To place the faller wire in position for backing-off an adjustable slide is mounted on
the headstock to operate the double ended lever, the same being worked from any
convenient part of the mule.
To prevent snicks or snarls it is necessary the faller wire be kept tight on the yarn
which I effect by means of an angle lever or inclined slide, the latter being attached
to the carriage or otherwise. The angle lever or inclined slide operates on an angle
piece on the lower end of the faller leg which maintains the position of the faller wire
on the yarn. In adapting the inclined slide it is mounted in brackets attached to the
gun-lever or otherwise, so that when the mule carriage makes its inward run the bar
that is attached to the angle lever or inclined slide rests against the headstock for the
purpose of holding it to receive the faller leg when falling down after being unlocked,
which holds the yarn tight until the carriage begins to make its outward run, after
which the faller leg slides down the incline on the angle lever or inclined slide and
thus allows the yarn to get clear of the faller wire.
To prevent the faller wire operating too far on the cop by the action of the backing-
off chain I provide a bracket attached to the square, middle piece, or other part of the
carriage under the backing-off wheel to operate the catch employed for turning the
backing-off wheel on the snail, so that when the chain attached to the faller leg has
travelled its full length to place the faller wire in its correct position the said bracket
lifts the catch out of the backing-off wheel and prevents the faller being moved out
of its correct position and consequently the ends of yarn from breakage.
For the purpose of liberating the long lever to allow it to change when necessary
for the inward run of the mule carriage I fix a small lever on the side of the inclined
or other block on the catch lever at present in use. This lever is operated to remove
the catch lever from the end of the long lever by an inclined bracket or its equivalent
mounted on the gun-lever or slide bar.
Dated the 19th November 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Applicable to Self-acting Mules.
I, JAMES ALBINSON of 45 Kent Street, Bolton in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in or applicable to self-acting mules for
spinning cotton and other fibrous substances, and consists in providing mechanism for
operating the faller to prevent the same being interfered with when building or forming
the cop, and for efficiently changing the long-lever.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation of so much of a male as is necessary to illustrate
my present invention Fig. 2 is a plan-Fig. 3 a front view-Fig. 3 A is an elevation
showing position of double lever when faller is locked-Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation
of the double ended lever-Fig. 5 is a plan of same- -Fig. 6 is an elevation of the
slotted bracket attached to the gun-lever, and Figs. 7 and 8 are end views of the
same.
the under-faller rod; D the headstock
G the shaper slide; H the snail; I the
lever for locking the long lever.
A is the mule carriage; B the faller rod;
frame; E the gun-lever; F the copping rail;
tin roller shaft; J the long-lever, and K the
To the faller rod B is attached the arm or lever M coupled to the curved arm N by
the pin O. The bottom end of the arm N is provided with the slot O¹, and is attached
to the slotted arm or fork P by the bolt Q. The slotted arm or fork P descends to
and slides on the boss R of the double ended lever M' attached to the shaper slide G
by the stud S. The shaper slide G is mounted in the ordinary slide bar T attached
to the mule carriage A by the arm U. To the slotted arm or fork P is secured
the swivel block or roller V by the stud W. One end of the double lever M¹ is
fitted with the hook X, to which is attached the chain Y connecting it with the snail H
on the tin roller or cylinder shaft I, by which the faller wire is operated on the yarn.
The chain Y is guided to the snail H by the pulley Z on the gun-lever E. On the
gun-lever E is fixed the slotted bracket A' in which operates the roller B', as shown in
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 3 A, mounted on the double ended lever M', and allows of the latter
rising and falling with the shaper slide G. The slotted bracket A¹ is fitted with the
adjustable incline N¹ to operate in conjunction with the roller B' according to the
desired point of change in building up the cops. When the mule carriage A has
completed its outward run the chain Y, attached to the snail H on the tin roller or
cylinder shaft I, pulls down the end of the double lever M₁ it is connected to and
raises the opposite end which operates on the swivel block or roller V attached to the
slotted arm or fork P and lifts the same as shown in Fig. 3 A, by which the faller wire
is locked in position on the yarn. The faller wire remains in this locked position on
the yarn until the mule carriage A has almost finished its inward run, or until the
motion or traverse of the gun-lever E is arrested in the ordinary manner, which places
the incline N¹ against the roller B' and pushes or raises that end of the double lever M¹
as shown in Fig. 1, thus releasing the swivel block or roller V from the locking end
of the double lever M³, which allows the slotted arm or fork P to drop and lifts the
faller wire clear of the yarn ready for the outward run of the mule carriage A.
The double lever M¹ is provided with the projection M' to operate against the slotted
arm or fork P and prevent the lever M' being pulled too-far when locking the faller.
The incline N¹ is attached to the bracket A¹ by the bolt P¹, and is set by the screw R.
The incline N' is adjustable for the purpose of enabling it to be set to operate sooner
or later on the roller B₁ mounted on the double lever M¹ by the action of the gun-
lever E. The bracket A' is secured to the gun-lever E by the bolt G¹.
For the purpose of liberating the long-lever J to allow it to change when necessary
for the inward run of the mule carriage A the L lever K is provided with the
adjustable fixing C₁. To the latter is pivoted the small lever D', the lower end of
which is curved and passes through the slotted projection E¹ on the fixing C., When

page_text: the mule carriage A is making an outward run the inclined bracket F¹ on the gun-
lever E operates against the end D' of the lever D¹ and lifts the same, thus allowing
the bracket F¹ to pass without lifting the lever K. When the mule carriage A is
making an inward run the bracket operates on the backside of the lever D¹, and
by its action on the projection E¹ lifts the L lever K and releases the long-
lever J.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The use of the double lever M' with its appendages, applied and operating
substantially as described and shown for the purpose specified.
2. In combination with the lever K the use of the adjustable fixing C¹ with the
slotted projection E', and the lever D' operated by the inclined bracket F¹ mounted
on the gun-lever E, substantially as described and shown on the drawings for the
purpose specified.
Dated the 17th A 1000
EDMUND CHADWICK,
Agent.