IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WINDING NARROW LAPS OF WOOL
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Platt, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical Engineer, and William Richardson, of the same Place,
Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR WINDING NARROW LAPS OF WOOL,"
Sealed the 16th February 1864, and dated the 20th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Platt and William
Richardson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
10.Petition, on the 20th August 1863.
We, JOHN PLATT, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical
Engineer, and WILLIAM RICHARDSON, of the same place, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WINDING NARROW LAPS OF WOOL," to be
as follows:-
Our Invention consists in an arrangement, whereby two bobbins alternately
replace each other, so that the attendant may remove a completed lap while
auother is being formed. These laps we wind upon bobbins which are situate
between two loose flanges free to revolve and carried by discs on which are
toothed wheels; these toothed wheels being driven, impart an excentric
rotatory motion to the bobbins, and by these means, therefore, they may be
made to replace each other. When the lap is completed, the length of material
wound, or the increased diameter thereof, throws the driving power into gear
with the above-mentioned discs, and the completed lap then turns upward,
Price 8d 1

page_text: giving place to the empty bobbin. In effecting this change, we employ a
worm working into a wheel carrying a stud, which at a perconcerted time
arrives in contact with a lever which shifts a clutch box,and thus the motive
power is transmitted to the disc. The substitution of one bobbin for another
having been effected, a blade is projected forward towards that bobbin upon
which the material has to be wound intercepting the sliver,and causing it to
be broken. This blade carries a hinged piece which falls downward, and
guides the sliver towards the bobbin on which it is to be wound. The bosses
of the loose flanges, above mentioned, bear during the winding against
inclined planes, but when a completed lap is turned upward the said inclined
planes are left, and the flanges are at liberty to become wider apart in order
to facilitate the removal of the lap.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Platt and William Richardson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th February 1864.
we, Jon
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
PLATT, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, and
WILLIAM RICHARDSON, of the same Place, Mechanical Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eighthundredandsixty-three, inthe twenty-seventh yearof Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Platt and William Richardson, Her special license that we, the
said John Platt and William Richardson, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Platt and William Richardson,
our exécutors, 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 MACHINERY OF
APPARATUS FOR WINDING NARROW LAPS OF WOOL," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said John Platt and William Richardson, by an instru-
ment 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

page_text: 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 John Platt and William Richardson,
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 Drawings, that is to
say:
Our Invention refers to machinery in which two bobbins are employed.so
mounted upon a moveable carrier, so that when one bobbin is filled the other
ay be caused to take its place. When this change is desired a comb blade
is thrust forward so as to detain the material, and cause it to be severed ; at
the same time a hinged flap turns downward upon its centre, and guides the
material towards the surface of the empty bobbin. The above change of
bobbins and severance of the material is effected through the agency of wheel-
work, which having revolved through a determined distance, brings the
motive power into gear with those parts which carry and therefore change the
bobbin.
As the method in which the bobbins are mounted constitutes an important
part of our Invention, we will in the first instance describe it.
At Fig. 1, a, a, represent portions of two discs provided with sockets,
within which are mounted short tubes b,carrying at their inner ends discs or
washers c, which by sliding the tubes b in their sockets, may be brought
nearer to or farther from each other. When a lap is to be wound, the bobbin
is to be placed between the flanges or washers c,and a pin is passed through it,
and also into the tubes b; at this time, that is, at the time of winding, the discs
or washers are brought as near together as their motion admits of, and are
retained in that position, as will be hereafter described; but when the lap is
wound, and has to be removed, then they are slidden endways from each
other,and are thus caused to quit the material,and facilitate its removal, the
said removal being effected by withdrawing the above-mentioned pin, which
passes through the bobbins.
We will now describe separately the method by which the sliver is broken
and caused to lap upon the empty bobbin. In Fig. 2, 1, e, represent the two
bobbins which are to replace each other as the one becomes filled, and which
are mounted upon discs a, capable of turning upon a centre 6º. At fis an
arm carrying at its outward end a comb blade g,which is intended to retain
and break off the sliver from the filled bobbin. At h is a flap provided with a
slot i in the direction of its length, within which slot is a pink carried at
each end by the arm f; upon this pin, therefore, the flap h is capable of

page_text: sliding and also of turning thereon as upon a hinge. At 7 is a roller mounted
upon an axis, which is carried by the arm f. According to the position
shewn at Fig. 2, the bobbin d is supposed to be filled, and the other bobbin e
is ready to take its place; this transposition is effected by turning the disc a
in the direction of the arrow, the consequence of which will be the reversal of
the bobbins, as at Fig. 3. Simultaneously with this movement, the arm f
is projected forward, by which means the sliver (shewn by the blue color) will
have been detained and broken by the comb bladeg passing therein, but the
end required to be lapped upon the empty bobbin e may, perhaps, remain
bent upward. The bobbin e, however, being now put in motion by a surface
drum m acts upon the underside of the flap h,which rests thereon, and which
flup is also in contact with the roller . The said revolution of the bobbin e,
therefore, slides forward the flap upon the pin k until it is free of the
bobbin's surface, and it will then turn downward upon its centre k into the
position shewn by dotted lines, detaching the sliver from the comb g, and
carrying it towards the empty bobbin e, upon which it then becomes wound.
Having thus explained the separate construction and operation of two
important parts of our Invention, we will proceed to point out a method by
which they may be put into practical operation,and also the means weemploy
for changing the bobbins at the desired periods. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of
the machine,and Fig. 5, an end view thereof, Fig. 6 is a detached face view
of the comb blade, and parts connected therewith.
At a, a, are two discs answering to those shewn by the same letter of
reference in Fig.1,and carrying the loose flanges or washers before described
for two bobbins, such bobbins being mounted after the manner also described
in reference to Fig. 1; the discs a are provided on their edges with toothed
wheels taking into pinions p, p, mounted upon a shaft in connection with a
train of wheels q, r, s, t. The last of these is fast upon a shaft u, which shaft is
however stationary, and does not therefore communicatemotiou to the discs a,
excepting at intervals as will hereafter be described. The shaft u acts as a
stud for the main driving pulley v, fast with which is a toothed wheel w,
taking into another wheel x, the axle of which by means of the train 1,2,3,4,
communicates rotatory motion to a pinion 5, turning loosely upon the shaft u.
Upon the same collar,and, therefore, also loose upon the shaft, is a worm 6,
taking into a worm wheel 7, connected by means of a link 8 to one end of
the lever 9. The other end of this lever carries a rod 10, which extends
upward beneath a lever L. mounted upon an upright shaft 12, (see the
detached view, Fig. 6). Upon the lower end of the shaft 12, is a forked
lever 13, embracing a groove formed in a boss upon one-half of a clutch

page_text: box 14, 15, mounted upon the before-mentioned shaft u, the half 15, of this
clutch box revolves loosely upon its shaft in conjunction with the driving
pulley v, but the other half 14 is connected to the said shaft by means of a
feather, and has a tendency to be forced forward by means of a spring 16.
Fast with the pinion 5, and worm 6; and consequently running loose upon
the shaft is a grooved cam 17, within which is a stud 18, carried by a
lever 19, capable of turning upon a centre 20, by which means the said lever,
together with a guide roller 21,and fork 22, is caused to vibrate. Upon the
axis of the toothed wheel 9, are excentrics 23, the rods 24 of which extend
downward, and are then connected to bell crank levers, one of which is seen
at 25, turning upon the shaft 26. The ends 25* of these levers are jointed
to a cross head 27 (see Fig. 7), which carries arms 28, provided with pins
29, situate within a stationary cam consisting of grooves 30, 31. Upon the
axis of the shaft 24, and driven therefore by the wheels w, a, is a surface
drum 32, upon which the bobbin d, when being filled rests, and by which
drum the winding-on is effected. The discs a, a, are carried by levers 33,
which turn loosely upon the shaft 34, so that as the lap increases in size the
said levers are turned upwards, but always tend by their weight to press the
bobbin downward, and impart therefore a certain amount of pressure. In a
piece with the levers 33, are arms 35 extending downward, which arms are
furnished with inclined planes 36, as seen in the detached view, Fig. 8,
and to be hereafter referred to. The operation of the machine is as follows:-
According to the position shewn in the Drawings a change of bobbins has
just been effected, the arm / has been thrust forward as describedin reference
to Fig. 3, and the flap h, has fallen down to guide the broken end on to the
bobbin d. The revolution of the driving pulley v, and wheel w, will by giving
motion to the surfacedrum 32 wind the material shewn by blue colour upon the
bobbin d.such material being fed from any convenient source and guided by
roller 21,aud fork 22. At the same time the lever 19 will be caused to vibrate
upon its centre 20,so as to distribute the material laterally upon the bobbin.
As the bobbiu increases in diameter, it will lift the lever f, and in so doing
will cause the studs 29 connected thereto to pass into the groove 31, of the
stationary cam or guide, and then the cutting off apparatus will fall back ward
waiting for the next movement presently to be described, which position of the
parts corresponds to that shewn at Fig. 2. During this time the shaft u, upon
which the wheel t is fast, has been stationary, but the wheel 5, worm 6, and
worm wheel 7, have been revolving thereon. This revolution of the worm
wheel 7, has turned the lever 9, and when the said wheel has passed through
a certain distance, according to the length of material intended to be wound-

page_text: the end of the rod 10, will have arrived in contact with the lever 11, pusing
it away from a stop carried by a disc 50, mounted upon the shaft of the
pinions pand leaving the upright shaft 12 at liberty to be turned, this turning
will be effected by the spring 16,and thus the fork 13 will place the half 14 of
the clutch box into gear with the other half 15 thereof,and as the portion 14.
is connected to the shaft u by a feather the motive power will now be applied
to the said shaft, and through it to the train of wheels commencing at t.
Through this train rotatory motion will be communicated to the wheels upon
the discs a, which being caused to revolve will convey the empty bobbin e into
the position of the filled bobbin d. Simultaneous with this movement the
excentrics 23 will be turned, and will through the rods 24, and levers 25,25*.
cause the studs 29, together with the comb g, and flap h, to move downward
guided in their course by the groove 31 in order that they may be clear of
the bobbin, during the above described change of position; this will have
carried the studs 29 beyond the switches 41, which turn on their centres to
allow them to pass, and the motion of the excentrics still continuing will
convey the said studs upwards along the groove 30, and present the comb g,
to the sliver in order that it may be severed and directed on to the bobbin by
the flap has described in reference to Fig. 3,previously to the above described
movements; the empty bobbin is situate between the loose flanges or washers,
which are separated to the full extent, but when the above described change
of bobbins is effected, then the revolution of the discs a will have brought
one end of the pin (which carries the bobbin) against an incline 36 formed upon
the arm 35, whereby one of the loose flauges or washers will have been thrust
inward while at the same time the other flange or washer will have been thrust
forward by the arrival of the tube b, Fig. 1 against another incline 36, formed
upon the other arm 35, by which arrangement the correct distanc's apart of
the flanges or washers are secured for the desired width of lap, but when the
full bobbin is turned upward then they may be separated for the ready removal
of the lap. At 45 is a lever which may be used to knock off the rod 10, at
pleasure, so as to bring the two halves 14, 15, of the clutch box into gear,
and effect the changes above described by hand. At 46 is a bell against
which a stud projecting from the worm wheel 7 arrives when the change
takes place in order to give notice thereof. In order that the motions above
described for effecting the changes,may be arrested, and that the winding-on
of another lap may proceed, it is of course necessary to disconnect the clutch
box 14, 15, and thus remove the driving power from the wheel t, this is
effected as follows:-When the lever 11, has been pushed up from the stop
40,as before described, the disc 50 moving with the piuious p will carry the

page_text: said stop forward,and then the lever 11 will be pressed down by a spring 51,
and when the disc 50 has completed a revolution an incline 52 will arrive in
contact with the said lever 11, thrusting it back into the position shown,
thus turning the shaft 12, and putting the clutch box 14, 15, out of gear.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood
that we claim as secured to us under the above in part recited Letters Patent
and for the purpose above set forth.
Firstly, the use of the loose flanges or washers remaining in the machine,
and acting as flanges for successive bobbins.
Secondly, the use of the comb blade for severing the sliver in conjunction
with the flap for guiding the severed end to the bobbin.
Thirdly, the employment of a worm wheel or other toothed gear calculated
to run for a certain time, and then to bring the apparatus for transposing
the bobbins into gear with the motive power.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Richardson, hath here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
TTTT
DIAD