IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF- ACTING MULES, HORSES, AND BILLEYS FOR SPINNING WOOLLEN AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Whiteley, of Lockwood, near Huddersfield,
in the County of York, Machine Maker, and George Harling, of the
same Place, Foreman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-
ACTING MULES, HORSES, AND BILLEYS FOR SPINNING WOOLLEN AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 18th December 1864, and dated the 18th June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Whiteley and
George Harling at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 18th June 1864.
We, WILLIAM WHITELEY, of Lockwood, near Huddersfield, in the County
of York, Machine Maker, and GEORGE HARLING, of the same Place, Foreman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SELF-ACTING MULES, HORSES, AND BILLEYS FOR SPINNING WOOLLEN AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the constructing, arranging, and applying
mechanism or apparatus for spinning woollen or other fibrous substances so
as to be self-acting in its operations, and these improvements are especially
adapted to the converting into self-acting machines hand mules and other
similar machines now in use. To the ordinary loose pulley on the rim shaft we
fix another pulley, which by strap gives motion to a cross shaft mounted in
bearings on the headstock. On this shaft is a friction boss and clutch com-
bined, which is capable of sliding on a feather fixed in the shaft, and fitting

page_text: into a friction box pulley which is loose on the shaft. This pulley is grooved
to receive the rim, band, or cord which passes around it, and gives motion to
the spindles, and the friction boss is pressed into the box by a spring on a
slide bar. Loose on the same shaft is also a clutch, corresponding in form to
the clutch before named (forming together a clutch box), to which is attached
a bevil wheel gearing with another bevil wheel on a diagonal shaft, which
gears at its other end with the shaft on which are the scrolls employed for
drawing up the carriage. The pinion on the first-named shaft is also capable
of gearing with another spur wheel which has four blank spaces, or is without
a number of teeth at four places, so that the pinion can rotate therein without
turning the wheel until required. This wheel is mounted on another cross
shaft in bearings attached to the headstock, and on this shaft is fixed a cam
or tappet which operates upon a bell-crank lever to actuate the spring slide
bar for throwing and holding out of gear both friction box and clutch box,
except when required to be in one or the other. On the last-named shaft or
attached to the cam is also a catch plate, which is acted upon by a finger
mounted on a rocking shaft, on which are also two other fingers actuated by
the carriage for the purpose of liberating the catch plate when required. The
usual twist gear when lifting the catch for liberating the strap guide also lifts
a catch which liberates the slide bar and throws the friction box into gear for
the purpose of backing off.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Whiteley and George Harling in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 17th December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
WHITELEY, of Lockwood, near Huddersfield, in the County of York, Machine
Maker, and GEORGE HARLING, of the same Place, Foreman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the.
said William Whiteley and George Harling, Her special licence that we, the
said William Whiteley and George Harling, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said William Whiteley and George Harling,
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

page_text: 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,
HORSES, AND BILLEYS FOR SPINNING WOOLLEN AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Whiteley and
George Harling, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of our or 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
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Whiteley and George Harling,
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 and accompanying Sheet of Drawings (that is
to say):-
This Invention relates to the constructing, arranging, and applying
mechanism or apparatus for spinning woollen or other fibrous substances so
as to be self-acting in its operation, and these improvements are especially
adapted to the converting into self-acting machines hand mules and other
similar machines now in use. To the ordinary loose pulley on the rim shaft we
fix another pulley, which by strap gives motion to a cross shaft mounted in
bearings on the headstock. On this shaft is a pinion gearing with a spur
wheel on another shaft on which is a friction boss and clutch combined, which
is capable of sliding on a feather fixed in the shaft, and fitting into a friction
box pulley which is loose on the shaft. This pulley is grooved to receive the
rim, band, or cord which passes around it and gives motion to the spindles.
The friction boss is pressed into the box by a spring acting upon a slide bar.
Loose on the same shaft is also a clutch corresponding in form to the clutch
before named (forming together a clutch box), to which is attached a bevel
wheel gearing with another bevel wheel on a diagonal shaft, which gears at its
other end with the shaft on which are the scrolls employed for drawing up the
carriage. The pinion on the first-named shaft is also capable of gearing with
another spur wheel which has four blank spaces, or is without a number of
teeth at four places, so that the pinion can rotate therein without turning the
wheel until required. This wheel is mounted on another cross shaft in
bearings attached to the headstock, and on this shaft is fixed a cam or
tappet which operates upon a bell-crank lever to actuate the spring slide bar
for throwing and holding out of gear both friction box and clutch box, except

page_text: when required to be in one or the other. On the last-named shaft or attached
to the cam is also a catch plate, which is acted upon by a finger mounted on
a rocking shaft, on which is also another finger actuated by the slide bar for
the purpose of liberating the catch plate when required. The usual twist gear
when lifting the catch for liberating the strap guide also lifts a catch which
liberates the slide bar and throws the friction box into gear for the purpose of
backing off.
In order that the nature of our said Invention may be fully understood, and
to shew the manner in which the same is performed or carried into practical
effect, we have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings of a part of an ordinary
hand mule with our improvements applied thereto.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the headstock (or front view of that part of
the mule); Fig. 2, a side elevation, with the carriage in section; and Fig. 3,
a plan of the same. The same letters in each Figure refer to the same parts
of the machine.
As a considerable portion of this machine is not new, and well known and
understood, reference is only made to such of the old parts as are immediately
in connection or combination with or are requisite to illustrate the application
of our improvements.
A is the pulley which we fix to the loose pulley on the rim shaft, and which
by strap B and pulley B' fixed on an intermediate shaft C gives motion by a
spur pinion D and spur wheel D¹ to a shaft, on which is a combined friction
boss and catch E capable of sliding on a feather, which prevents its turning
round thereon. This friction boss is fitted into a box or bush on a band
pulley F loose on the shaft, and the clutch fits into a corresponding clutch
(forming a clutch box) G, also loose on the shaft. The band or cord F¹ for
driving the spindles is passed around this pulley (and the rim wheel and other
parts or pulleys also in the usual manner), which when the friction boss is
in contact gives motion thereto. The clutch G is connected to a bevel
wheel G', which gears with another bevel wheel G₁ fixed on a diagonal
shaft Gs, which by means of a pair of bevel wheels G and G³ gives motion to
the scroll shaft H, and thereby operates the carriage I when the said clutch
box is in gear. The pinion D also is capable of gearing with a spur wheel J,
which is mounted upon a shaft K, on which is also fixed a cam or tappet L
and a catch plate M. This wheel J is formed with four blank spaces, or
without teeth at four parts, so that the pinion D may rotate in these spaces
without turning the said wheel when it is placed in suitable position for that
purpose; but when placed in gear the said pinion will turn the wheel one-
fourth of a revolution, and then cease to turn it until again placed in gear..

page_text: The friction box is brought into gear and held in that state by a spring slide
bar N acting on a bell-crank lever P, to the fulcrum of which is fixed a fork
lever E¹ taking into the groove of the clutch E. The catch plate M is
actuated to release or overcome the action of the spring slide bar by means of
a finger Q fixed on a rocking shaft R, on which another finger S is fixed,
which is acted upon by the slide bar for putting the clutch box in gear, and
thereby turning the scrolls for drawing up the carriage. The ordinary twist
gear when lifting the catch for liberating the strap guide U also lifts a
catch V, which liberates the spring slide bar and throws the friction box again
into gear or contact.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Whiteley, for and on behalf of
myself and the said George Harling, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifteenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named William Whiteley,
in the presence of
WM. TASKER,
Patent Agent,
Halifax,
WILLIAM WHITELEY. (L.S.)