IMPROVEMENTS IN THREAD WINDING MACHINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Whaley Shepherd and William Ayrton both of the
Gorebrook Iron Works, Longsight, and Sam Hallam of Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Engineers for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THREAD WINDING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Whaley Shepherd,
William Ayrton, and Sam Hallam at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 12th September 1882.
JAMES WHALEY SHEPHERD and WILLIAM AYRTON both of the Gorebrook Iron
Works, Longsight and SAM HALLAM of Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THREAD WINDING MACHINES
"
Our Invention relates to the machines employed in the filling of spools or bobbins
with silk, cotton and linen sewing thread and particularly to the now well known
Weild's selfacting spooling machine and has for its principal object in the first
place to shorten the space required for each winding head in a frame so that a
greater number of spools may be filled in a frame of a given length or otherwise
to enable us to fill larger spools without increasing the length of the frame. We
move the bobbin trough or carrier forwards and upwards from its position of rest
immediately behind the spool which is being filled the bobbin being received on to
two short centre spindles and in order to clear the bobbin when returning we impart
a compound movement to the trough so that it is lowered out of the way as it is
being withdrawn. This we effect by forming or fixing the said trough upon a
lever which is carried by a lever or arm which is on the bobbin shaft and is acted
upon to depress the trough as it is withdrawn. In one arrangement the said
trough is at the front end of the lever and the back end thereof is jointed to a
vibrating link which is inclined so that as the trough is withdrawn the back end
of the trough lever is raised so as to depress the trough. In some or in all cases
we slide back only one of the centre spindles in order to simplify the construction
and to economise space.
In the second place we increase the pressure of the thread guide or layer during
the winding of the last coil in order to impart a glaze or smoothness of finish to

page_text: the filled bobbin. A third part of our Invention relates to the filling of bobbins
which are formed without a cylindrical barrel and in consequence are difficult to
fill or cannot be filled in the ordinary winding machines. We lift the thread
guide or layer at the commencement of the winding and keep it from pressing
upon the coils until a foundation for the thread laying has been obtained when
the thread guide is lowered and acts in the usual manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Whaley Shepherd, William Ayrton, and Sam Hallam in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th March 1883.
JAMES WHALEY SHEPHERD and WILLIAM AYRTON both of the Gorebrook Iron
Works Longsight and SAM HALLAM of Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers "IMPROVEMENTS IN THREAD WINDING MACHINES
"
Our Invention relates to the machines employed in the filling of spools or bobbins
with silk, cotton and linen sewing thread and particularly to the now well known
Weild's self-acting spooling machine and has for its principal object in the first
place to shorten the space required for each winding head in a frame so that a
greater number of spools may be filled in a frame of a given length or otherwise
to enable us to fill larger spools without increasing the length of the frame. We
move the bobbin trough or carrier forwards and upwards from its position of rest
immediately behind the spool which is being filled the spool being received on to
two short centre spindles and in order to clear the spool when returning we impart
a compound movement to the trough so that it is lowered out of the way as it is
being withdrawn. In some or in all cases we slide back only one of the centre
spindles in order to simplify the construction and to economise space.
In the second place we increase the pressure of the thread guide or layer during
the winding of the last coil in order to impart a glaze or smoothness of finish to the
filled spool.
A third part of our invention relates to the filling of spools which are formed
without a cylindrical barrel and in consequence are difficult to fill or cannot be
filled in the ordinary winding machines. We lift the thread guide or layer at
the commencement of the winding and keep it from pressing upon the coils until
a foundation for the thread laying has been obtained when the thread guide is
lowered and acts in the usual manner.
In order that our invention may be well understood we have supplied two sheets
of drawings to accompany this specification. Referring to sheet 1 of the said
drawings Fig 1 represents a side elevation and Fig 2 a back elevation of the parts
which move into position the empty spool Fig 3 being a front view of a spool and
of the parts which carry and give motion to the same. In the said Figs or in
Figs 1 and 2, a is the rail to which are secured the winding headstocks b. On the
back of the said rail are fixed brackets in which are formed bearings for a rocking
shaft c.
On this shaft are fixed lever arms one for each winding headstock one of
these arms only d appearing in the drawings. A stud bolt is adjustable in a slot
in the said arm and carries a lever e on one end of which is formed the spool
trough e. The other end of this lever is jointed to one end of a link f which is
mounted by its other end upon a fixed fulcrum stud or pin g. When the shaft c

page_text: is turned in its bearings so as to move the arin d in the indicated direction the
spool trough is moved backwards from below the centres and the end of the lever e
which is jointed to the link f being raised by reason of the inclination of the link
the trough is lowered so that it is withdrawn into the lower position indicated by
the dotted lines. Upon the shaft c is fixed a lever h which is connected by a link
to a lever i which is fixed upon a shaft j which is mounted in a bearing formed in
a bracket secured to the rail. On the same shaft is fixed a lever k which is
provided with a bowl which is acted upon by the cam which corresponds to the
ordinary cam used in giving motion to the trough or spool carrier. The carrier
receives an empty spool resting in the trough as is usual and the shaft c is turned
by the action of the cam so as to move the trough towards the centres. As the
trough moves into position below the centres it rises until it rests in a position
suitable for the spool to be received on to the centres. When the spool has been
taken on to the centres the trough retires moving downwards so as to clear the
spools as hereinbefore mentioned. By being thus enabled to withdraw the trough
from below the spool we can use much shorter back centre carriers m and thereby
effect an economy in space. The front centre spindle n is not arranged to slide in
the hollow shaft as in the ordinary machine and we thus save the space required
for the traverse of the arm which was connected to the end of the centre spindle
and was secured to a sliding rod o. We retain this rod and fix to it fingers p, p¹.
The finger p pushes the spool off the centre the finger p¹ preventing the back
centre from carrying the spool with it when it retires. We impart a differential
motion to the two ordinary rods o, o¹ the latter carrying the back centres and
moving to a greater extent but in the same direction as the rod o. Fig 5 is a
diagram illustrative of the arrangement of levers which we employ to give motion
to these rods but any suitable means may be used for the purpose.
"
The Figs on sheet 2 drawn to a scale of about three inches to the foot are
illustrative of the second and third parts of our invention Fig 6 representing an
end elevation of part of a winding frame with the motion for increasing the
pressure during the completion of the winding operation in accordance with the
second part of our invention. In the said Figs q is the upper cross shaft upon
which in the ordinary machine is the cam which gives motion to the "shaper ram
and is the rod which is connected with the lever on the thread guide shaft and
effects the lifting and lowering of the thread guides. In the example we connect
this rod with one arm of a bell-crank lever s and the other arm of this lever is
connected to one arm of a second bell-crank lever t. The other arm of the lever t
is connected by means of a link u' with the lower end of a rod u and the same
joint is connected with one end of a radius rod w which is mounted by its other
end upon a stud w¹ which can be adjusted in position in a slot in a bracket x.
The rod u is suspended by its upper end from a stud y which is upon a part which
is fitted to slide in a bracket z, and is provided with an anti-friction bowl a'. The
said bowl rests upon a cam b₁ which is fixed upon the shaft q. A side view of the
said cam appears in Fig 7. As each layer of thread is wound upon the spools the
shaft q receives a partial rotating motion as is usual and the cam 6 at the same
time raises or lifts the upper end of the rod u. It will be seen that in consequence
of the inclination of the radius rod w an upward movement of the lower end of
the rod u is attended with a movement of its lower end in the direction indicated
by the arrow. This movement is transmitted by the bell-crank levers to the rod
which is moved in the indicated direction and raises the thread guides for the next
layer. By fixing the fulcrum w at a lower point the movement of the rod r can
be reduced its highest position imparting the maximum of movement and its lowest
possible position reducing the movement to a minimum or to nothing so that the
action can be regulated to suit varying thicknesses of thread. When the last
layer is to be wound the cam permits the rod u to fall whereby the thread guides
are permitted to press heavily upon the thread during the winding of the last layer
or layers. The weighting of the thread guides may be effected in any suitable
manner.

page_text: Figs 8 and 9 illustrate the third part of our Invention. In Fig 8 c is the
ordinary "shaper ram" which is connected with the upright lever d¹. From the
said lever a slotted arm projects and a stud projecting from the central joint of a
jointed rod e¹ enters a slot in the said arm. The jointed rod e¹ is mounted by its
upper end upon a fixed stud f¹ and is connected by its lower end with one arm of
a bell-crank lever g'. A weight h' is connected by means of a chain with the said
lever and tends to move the same in the direction which will put the rod e¹ in
compression. So long as the rod is straight as in Fig 8 the weight does not act
upon the thread guides and during this time the thread guides are not loaded and
the first preliminary layers of thread are wound upon the spools. By the
accumulation of thread the "shaper ram
is drawn forwards until an adjustable
part on the lever d' bearing against the joint of the rod e¹. the latter suddenly
gives way in the manner indicated by Fig 9 and the weight is thereby permitted
to act upon the "shaper ram" and the thread guides are pressed towards the
spools during the remainder of the operation. The arrangements on sheet 2
are only given as examples of what we consider to be suitable methods of carrying
our invention into effect and it must be understood that we do not confine ourselves
to these methods.
"
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of the said invention
and means whereby the same may be carried into practical effect we would have
it to be understood that we claim :-
First the combination of parts giving motion to the spool carrier substantially
as set forth and indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accompanying drawings.
Secondly so actuating the spool carrier as that the trough when retiring from
below the spool to a position of rest immediately behind the spool is lowered as it
retires in order to clear the spool substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated.
Thirdly the spool carrier or trough formed upon or attached to a lever which
is actuated by a lever arm and is jointed to a radius link which lowers the said
trough as it retires substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
Fourthly the non sliding front centre substantially as described with reference to
Fig 3 of the drawings whereby economy of space is obtained.
Fifthly putting an increased load or pressure upon the thread guides during the
winding of the last layer or layers in order to impart a glaze or smoothness to the
filled spool.
And lastly in the filling of spools which are formed without cylindrical barrels
partly filling the spools whilst the thread guides are lifted or prevented from
pressing upon the thread and completing the filling with the thread guides pressed
upon the layers as is usual.
In witness whereof I the said James Whaley Shepherd for myself and on
behalf of the said William Ayrton and Sam Hallam have hereunto set my
hand and seal this ninth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty-three
Signed, sealed and delivered
in the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON
41 John Dalton St, Manchester,
(Agent for the Patentees)
J. W. SHEPHERD (L.S.)