Ix- PROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OR MANUFACTURE OF TEXTILE MA- TERIALS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stevenson, of Johnstone, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, Manager, for the Invention of "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OR MANUFACTURE OF TEXTILE MA-
TERIALS."
Sealed the 8th September 1853, and dated the 14th March 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stevenson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th March 1853.
I, WILLIAM STEVENSON, of Johnstone, in the Country of Renfrew,
North Britain, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OR MANUFACTURE OF
TEXTILE MATERIALS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an adjustable apparatus to be fitted to
spinning, twisting, reeling, winding, and other machinery employed in
the manufacture of textile materials for clearing the threads or yarn
from knots, loose fibres, or foreign adhering substances.

page_text: It consists of a duplex plate, suitably slottod or notched to receive
the yarn and permit the free passage through of the latter, whilst the
edges of the slits detain the objectionable matters. The two plates are laid
one upon the other, and when each pair of slits coincide the yarn has a
full wide opening to pass through, that is to say, the apparatus will
clear a coarse thread. But when a finer thread is under treat-
iment, or when the thread is to be nipped tighter, or to be more
stringently acted upon, the attendant traverses one plate longitudi-
nally upon the other, so as to bring the series of slits out of a direct
vertical line with each other. This movement obviously diminishes the
width of the slot, and by this means a single apparatus is made to
answer for any variety of yarn, as the openings may be set to any
width less than that of the actual slots in each plate.
,
The Invention is obviously applicable for various kinds of work, and
is suitable for effecting the clearance of all kinds of yarn or thread.
This general plan of clearer may be modified in various ways. For
example, the apparatus may consist of two or more holding bars on
which are attached slips of metal, the clearing surface being thus com-
posed of two adjustable slips, and the attendant has simply to traverse
the bars to widen or narrow the whole of the interstices at onec.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Stevenson, in the Great Seal Patent
Oflice, on the 14th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM STEVENSON, of Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs und successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Stevenson, Her special
licence that I, tho said William Stevenson, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Stevenson,
my executors, administrators, or 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 THE TREATMENT OR MANUFACTURE OF TEXTILE MATERIALS," "pon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Stevenson, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and scal, 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 I, the said William Stevenson, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:
My said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of an
adjustable apparatus to be fitted to spinning, twisting, reeling, winding,
and other machinery employed in the manufacture of textible materials
for clearing the threads or yarn from knots, loose fibres, or foreign
adhering substances. It consists, under one modification, of a duplex
plate, suitably slotted or notched to receive the yarn or thread, and
permit the free passage through of the latter, whilst the edges of the
slits detain the objectionable matters. The two plates are laid one
upon the other, and when the slits in cach plate coincide, the yarn bas
a full wide opening to pass through; that is to say, the apparatus will
clear a coarse thread. But when a finer thread is under treatment, or
when the thread is to be nipped tighter, or to be more stringently acted
upon by this cleansing process, the attendant traverses one plate
longitudinally upon the other, so as to bring the series of slits out of a
direct or parallel line with each other. This movement obviously
diminishes the width of the slit, and by this means a single apparatus

page_text: my
is made to answer for any variety of yarn, as the openings may be set
to any width less than that of the actual slits in each plate. Tho In-
vention is obviously applicable for various kinds of work, and is suitable
for effecting the clearance of all kinds of yarn or thread. This general
plan of clearer may be modified in various ways. For example, the
apparatus may consist of two or more holding bars, on which are
attached slips of metal, the clearing surface being thus composed of
two adjustable slips, and the attendant has simply to traverse the bars
to widen or narrow the whole of the interstices at once. Figure 1, on
sheet of drawings, is a side or end elevation, in isolated detail, of
the actual operating parts of a winding frame, as employed for winding
yarn from the cop or pirn on to bobbins, in the ordinary process of
textile manufacture, but modified and fitted up according to my Im-
provements. Figure 2, is a corresponding front view of a portion of
the winding frame exhibiting the same details. Figure 3, is an
end detailed view of a reel or apparatus for transferring yarn from
the throstle bobbin to the hank condition, as also fitted up with my
adjustable clearer. Figure 4, is an enlarged side or longitudinal view
of one modification of adjustable clearer detached; and Figure 5, is a
corresponding edge view of the saine. Figure 6, is a back, roversed,
or interior view of the same arrangement of clearer. Figure 7, is a
longitudinal elevation of a different modification of the contrivance,
composed of a pair of plain and similarly slotted plates only; and
Figure 8, is a corresponding edge view of this latter plan. In the
winding machine arrangement, detailed and referred to in Figures 1, 2,
4, 5, and 6, the continuous cylinder or drum A, actuates the line of
spindles B, by means of a series of endless bands; and the bobbins
C, of the line of spindles. wind up or transfer the yarn D, from the
stationary line of cops E, at the back or central portion of the frame.
It is in its passage between these two holders, the cop and the
bobbin, that the cleansing action occurs. As the yarn leaves the
it passes through or over suitable guides, and thenco over the top
of the wooden bar F, covered with some coarse material to give a
"drag" to the passing threads; thence the yarn passes immediately
through the cloarer plate G, and round other suitable guides to the
cop

page_text: bobbin. In this particular plan of clearer, that apparatus is composed
of the two separate parts H, I, laid together in a parallel line, and
adjustable by the thumb-screw spindle J. The main wide front plate
H, is slotted out on its upper edge pretty widely at intervals, as at K,
to suit the intervals of the lines of yarn being wound; the two parallel
edges of each of these slots being slightly inclined or expanded in the
direction of the yarn's passage. This front plate is attached by stiff
friction to the other parallel plate I, by means of adjustable screws L,
in the plate H, and passed through short slots in the opposite plate.
This opposite or inner plate I, has in it slots or notches M, considerably
wider than those in the plate H; and these wider notches fit over or
embrace the square pieces or projections N, which are either cast on or
attached to the inner side of the plate H; these square pieces N, being
arranged to lie in the same plane as the plate I, whilst one edge of
each piece coincides with the centre line of each slot in the plate H.
A small bracket holder O, is attached to one end of the plate I, to
form a fixed bearing or abutment for the collar journal of the thumb
screw spindle J, the screwed portion of which is passed through a tapped
eyo or nut piece P, fast on the corresponding end of the plate H. The
result of this arrangement is, that the attendant, by turning the screw J,
in either direction, traverses the plates upon one another to widen or
narrow the cleansing slits, as may be required; for, although the
openings in the plate H, remain constant to the same width, which
must be greater than is required for the cleansing operation, yet the
traversing movement brings the acting edge of each piece N, nearer to
or further from the opposite parallel edge of the wider slot in the piece I ;
and thus the cleansing slots are all adjusted in the same plane, as if
they were simply made in a single flat plate. In the reel, Figure 3,
the actual reel frame or hank holder A, by its revolution draws the
yarn B, through the clearer C, directly from the throstle bobbin D, (the)
the yarn being cleared in its transit in the manner which I have described.
In Figures 7, and 8, the clearer consists of two plain flat plates E, F,
each being slotted through on one edge, with a series of narrow cuts
G, H. The two plates are attached alongside each other by the screws
and slots I; and the necessary adjustment for varying the clearing pitch

page_text: is accomplished by the thumb screw spindle J, fitted as I have already
explained in reference to Figures 4, 5, and 6. When the two plates
are so set with regard to each other that their slots all coincide, the
clearing edges are then obviously at their widest distance asunder, and
the coarsest thread for which the clearer has been constructed will pass
freely through. On the contrary, the more the slots are made to clear
cach other. or come out of their even parallel line, as indicated in
Figures 7, and 8, by so much will their thoroughfare bo narrowed to
suit a comparatively fine thread. In each of the two examples which
I have selected for illustration the clearing slots are formed at the points
of springing of the archod curves Q, on one or both of the plates, as may
occur under the special modification used. The object of this is, that
when an end breaks, or from any other cause a thread has to be passed
laterally into its clearing slot, it will first press upon this rounded or
inclined surface Q, and then slide off into its allotted slot. Instead of
being archet or curved, these parts may, of course. be angular or shaped
with a duplex incline, so as to cause the threads to glide freely into
their slots.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that 1 do not con-
fine or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I
have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features
of my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, aud
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of apparatus or
means for the treatment or clearing of textile materials, as herein-before
described.
Second, the application and use, in all the manufacturing processes
where such cleansing is necessary, of adjustable clearing surfaces or
edges, for clearing all qualities and numbers of yarn by one apparatus.
Third, the system or mode of adjusting the clearing surfaces of textilo
materials by the traverse, in reference to each other, of two or more

page_text: slotted or notched plates, bars, or sets of clearing edges, so as to vary
the thoroughfares for the passing threads.
Fourth, the system or mode of arranging adjustable or variable
thread clearers in such manner that the clearing edges or surfaces shall
be in the same longitudinal plane.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stevenson, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Tenth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
threo.
WILLIAM STEVENSON. (L.S.)