AN IMPROVED STRAPPING OR WINDING GOVERNOR MOTION FOR SELF-ACTING MULES
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 9th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 8th July, 1887.
I BENJAMIN ALFRED DOBSON, Machinist, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of said Invention for AN IMPROVED STRAPPING OR WINDING
GOVERNOR MOTION FOR SELF-ACTING MULES, to be as follows:-
My invention consists in a novel method of actuating the quadrant screw of a self-
acting mule during the building up of the cop bottom.
The rack
In performing my Invention I cast a spur pinion on the back of the bevel wheel
which gears into and drives the bevel wheel on the end of the quadrant screw and I
employ a bracket secured to the foot of the mule headstock; this bracket carries a
slide to which is attached a rod that has an adjustable collar on it; the slide is caused
to move on the bracket by a second or motion rod actuated from the carriage. On
the slide is fitted a plate to which is pivoted a hanging catch or finger; an
independent or loose rack rests upon the plate and is connected to the slide by a lug
or projecting piece which passes through a slot in the plate and rack.
has at each end a projection with an inclined or bevelled lower face, one end of the
plate is bevelled off and near the other end is a recess with a bevelled face to
correspond with the bevelled projections on the rack. In the bracket are fitted a
stationary and a movable rack side by side, provided with fine ratchet teeth; resting
in the teeth of each rack is a pawl; both pawls are mounted on a stud free to slide in
slideways formed in the bracket; the pivoted catch acts upon one of the pawls. The
second or motion rod carries a tumbler lever and a handle which also forms a set
washer; between this handle and the slide is a compressed spiral spring; the end of
the rod is secured to the slide by a pin which fits in a slot.
Before starting to build a cop the pawls are brought against an adjustable stop on
the bracket and the feed of the racks is determined by the adjustable collar on the

page_text: sliding rod which acts upon a pin secured to the under side of the movable ratchet
rack; when the mule carriage is running up and the cop bottom is being formed a
bar connected by chains or bands to the levers on the counter and copping fallers is
set to come against the tumbler lever hinged to the motion rod and draws the slide,
plate, and loose rack along the bracket, the rack being raised near the end of the
stroke by its projecting pieces moving on the inclined surfaces of the plate which
comes to rest before the rack; when the carriage begins its outward run the rack
and pinion are in gear and turn the bevel wheels and quadrant screw when the carriage
has nearly completed the run.
Just before the mule carriage has finished its outward run the pivoted catch comes
against its-pawl and stops the traverse of the plate until the rack carried forward by
the slide reaches the recess in the plate when it falls out of gear with the pinion. The
rack continues to actuate the -pinion until the pawls have been advanced so far by the
sliding rod that they are out of gear with the ratchet racks when the motion ceases
until it is re-set for building another set of cops.
To disconnect the motion the handle on the motion rod is turned partly round; this
releases the piñ from its slot in the slide and moves the tumbler lever so that the faller
bar passes clear of it.

page_text: An Improved Strapping or Winding Governor Motion for Self
Acting Mules.
I BENJAMIN ALFRED DOBSON Machinist of Bolton in the County of Lancaster do
hereby declare the nature of said Invention for AN IMPROVED STRAPPING OR WINDING
GOVERNOR MOTION FOR SELF ACTING MULES, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention consists in a novel method of actuating the quadrant screw of a self
acting mule during the building up of the cop bottom which I effect by means of a
new combination and arrangement of mechanism as hereinafter set forth.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying three Sheets of Drawings reference being had
to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of part of a self acting mule to which my
Invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same and Fig. 3 illustrates an alternative
arrangement for part of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 a designates a spur pinion which I cast or fix on
the back of the bevel wheel b which gears into and drives the bevel wheel c fixed on
the end of the quadrant screw d I employ a bracket e secured in any convenient
manner to the foot of the mule headstock or to a stationary bracket fixed to the floor;
this bracket e carries a slide el which is guided between two projections ex fixed on
the bracket e to which is attached a rod f that has an adjustable collar f¹ secured
on it.
The slide e is caused to move on the bracket e by a second or motion
rod g actuated from the mule carriage x.
On the slide e¹ is fitted a loose plate h
to which is pivoted a hanging catch or finger i; an independent or loose rack h¹
rests upon the plate / and is connected to the slide e¹ by a lug or projecting
piece which is formed or secured on the slide e¹ and passes through a slot h
indicated by dotted lines Figs. 1 and 2 in the plate and enters a hole formed
to receive it in the rack h². The rack h¹ has at each end a projection h h respectively
with an inclined or bevelled lower face one end of the plate h is bevelled off at h* and
near the other end is a recess * with a bevelled face to correspond with the aforesaid
bevelled projections ³h on the rack h¹. In the bracket e are fitted a stationary
rack e and a movable rack side by side provided with fine ratchet teeth and resting
in the teeth of each rack is a pawl e both pawls being mounted on a stud e free
to slide in slideways formed in the bracket e. The pivoted catch i acts upon one of
the pawls e when the slide e¹ and plate h are operated as subsequently described.
The second or motion rod g carries a tumbler lever y' and a handle which also
forms a set washer to limit the traverse of the rod g and on the rod g between the
handle and the slide e¹ is a compressed spiral spring g³. The end of the rod y is

page_text: secured to the slide e¹ by a pin g* which passes through the rod and fits in a slot in
the slide e¹.
Before starting to build a cop the pawls e* are brought against an adjustable stop
piece e on the bracket e and the feed of the racks ee is determined by the
position of the adjustable collar f¹ on the sliding rod f which acts upon a pin e
secured to the underside of the movable ratchet rack e³ and so moves the said
rack in one direction the rack being moved in the reverse direction by means of
the slide e¹ when it comes in contact with the projecting portion e' of the movable
rack e. When the mule carriage is running in and the cop bottom is being formed
a bark connected by chains or bands k¹ to the levers and on the counter and
copping fallers respectively is set to come against the tumbler lever g¹ hinged to
the motion rod g thereby drawing after it the slide el plate h and rack along
the stationary bracket e the rack ₁ being raised near the end of the run in by
means of its projecting pieces h³ * moving up the inclined surfaces h³ h of the
plate which is brought to rest before the rack h¹ by a stop piece secured to or
formed with the bracket e or other stationary part against which the plate h comes
and by which it is stopped before the rack h¹ has finished its traverse the slot ' in
the plate permitting the slide e¹ lug h² and rack h¹ to move independently of the
plate whereby when the rack h¹ is lifted as before described by travelling up the
inclined surfaces h h it is raised to the right height to gear with the pinion a and
remains so while the mule carriage commences its outward run.
Just before the mule carriage x has finished its outward run it comes against a
projection on the slide e¹ and so moves the said slide and the rack h¹ and as the
rack and the pinion a come into gear the bevel wheels b and c and the quadrant screw d
are turned until the catch i comes against the pawls e and stops the traverse of the
plate but the rack h¹ continues to be carried forward by the slide e¹ until the
inclined projections ³ /* reach the inclines and allow the rack ¹ to fall out
of gear with the pinion a. The rack actuates the pinion a at each outward
run in the manner described whenever the pressure of the ends depresses the
counterfaller and lowers the bar k sufficiently to catch the tumbler lever g¹ and
this is continued until the pawls e* have been advanced so far by the motion of
the movable rack e³ which is moved first in one direction by the pin e actuated
by the collar on the sliding rod f and then in the other direction by the action of
the carriage on the slide e' which strikes the projection e' that the said pawls arrive at
the end of the racks e³ e³ and drop out of gear whereby the motion ceases until it is
re-set for building another set of cops.
To re-set the motion the pawls e are raised out of gear with the racks and then
pushed back by hand and replaced in gear with the racks in their first or initial
positions.
To disconnect the motion the handle g² on the motion rod g is turned partly round
this releases the pin g' from its slot in the slide e¹ and moves the tumber lever g¹ so
that the faller bar k passes clear of it. The tumbler lever gl is so arranged and hinged
to the bar g than when it is struck by the bar k it is raised into a vertical position and
comes against a stop piece g³.
In order to subdivide the teeth of the racks for nice adjustinent in fine spinning I
may form the fixed rack of any required width and employ say three pawls of different
lengths and mounted on the same stud by which means one or other of the pawls will
take into a fresh tooth on the fixed rack after a very slight movement of the movable
rack.
In place of the two racks e³ ³ mentioned above a worm shaft n see Fig. 3 may be
fitted in the bracket e the worm shaft carrying a nut n' on which is a projection. The
pivoted lever i acts upon the projection of this nut n' in the same manner as upon the
pawls (Figs. 1 and 2) and has the same effect upon the rack h¹ namely that of
causing the rack h¹ to fall out of gear with the pinion a according to the position of
the projection of the nut n' on the worm n.
The travel of the nut n' upon the worm n is obtained by means of a ratchet wheel o

page_text: fixed upon the shaft n the operating catch or pawl p being moved by the slide e¹ near
the completion of the outward run of the mule carriage. At each movement of the
ratchet wheel o the nut n' travels along the worm n causing the pivoted catch i to
come in contact with it earlier and consequently allowing less teeth of the rack h¹ to
engage with the pinion a. The slide el continues to actuate the ratchet wheel o until
the nut n is advanced so. far as to come out of gear with the worm n by working into
a recess n cut in it.
To bring the nut back into position for commencing another set of cops a small
springs is inserted in the bracket e which spring by pressing against the nut causes
it to work easily into gear with the worm on the direction of the worm shaft being
reversed.
The ratchet wheel o may be changed for one with a different pitch of teeth
according to the number of counts being spun and for the same purpose the length of
traverse of the nut n' on the worm n can also be adjusted by altering the position of
the stop e.
Either the worm n or the quadrant screw d may be differential screws i.e. screws
of varying pitch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is-
1. The construction combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
improved strapping or winding governor motion for self acting mules substantially as
herein described with reference to the Drawings annexed.
2. The use and application of movable and stationary ratchet racks and pawls or
their equivalents the ratchet wheel worm and nut combined with mechanism for
operating the quadrant screw at the required time and mechanism for regulating the
movement of said pawls or the nut for the purpose of governing the successive changes
in the rotation of the quadrant screw substantially as and for the purposes described
and as illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
3. The construction and arrangement of parts whereby the action of the pawls e
or the nut n' is terminated at the required time substantially as and for the purposes
described.
4. The rack or any suitable mechanical equivalent for imparting a varying
rotatory motion to the quadrant screw as described in combination with movable and
stationary racks and pawls or with a ratchet wheel screw and nut substantially as
herein specified.
5.-Mechanism for automatically releasing or disengaging and replacing the rack h¹
or its equivalent for driving the quadrant screw substantially as herein described.
6. The combination with the bark of the tumbler lever g¹ substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth.
7. The combination with the rod 9 provided with the tumbler lever g¹ and secured
to the bracket e¹ of a handle such as substantially as and for the purposes herein
set forth.
771 1
1007
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester,
Agent.