IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Houghton, of Gomersal, in the County of
York, Machine Maker, George Burrows, of Birstal, in the same County,
Manufacturer, and Charley Oldroyd, of the same Place, Spinner, for the
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Houghton,
George Burrows, and Charley Oldroyd at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 4th June 1864.
We, WILLIAM HOUGHTON, of Gomersal, in the County of York, Machine
Maker, GEORGE BURROWS, of Birstal, in the same County, Manufacturer, and"
CHARLEY OLDROYD, of the same Place, Spinner, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in the adaptation and application of a scroll
or spiral pulley instead of the "quadrant" usually employed in self-acting mules,
and for the same purposes; secondly, in the construction and application of
a tappet wheel instead of the ordinary "cam shaft," with suitable lever
arrangements for throwing in and out of gear the several parts in connection
in a similar manner; thirdly, in the application of a double scroll pulley
for putting up the carriage, which is brought into action by ordinary catch

page_text: boxes.
These improved appliances simplify the mechanism of self-acting
mules, and afford an economical and speedy means of converting hand mules
into self-acting.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Houghton, George Burrows, and Charley Oldroyd
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HOUGHTON, of Gomersal, in the County of York, Machine Maker, GEORGE
BURROWS, of Birstal, in the same County, Manufacturer, and CHARLEY OLD-
ROYD, of the same Place, Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth 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 Houghton, George Burrows, and Charley Oldroyd, Her special
licence that we, the said William Houghton, George Burrows, and Charley
Oldroyd, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said William Houghton, George Burrows, and Charley Oldroyd, our execu-
tors, 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 SELF-ACTING MULES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Houghton,
George Burrows, and Charley Oldroyd, 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 Houghton, George Burrows,
and Charley Oldroyd, 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 consists, firstly, in the adaptation and application of a scroll

page_text: or spiral pulley instead of the "quadrant" usually employed in self-acting
mules, and for the same purposes; secondly, in the construction and appli-
cation of a tappet wheel instead of the ordinary "cam shaft," with suitable
lever arrangements for throwing in and out of gear the several parts in con-
nection in a similar manner; thirdly, in the application of a double scroll
pulley for putting up the carriage, which is brought into action by ordinary
catch boxes. These improved appliances simplify the mechanism of self-acting
mules, and afford an economical and speedy means of converting hand mules
into self-acting.
In order that this Invention may be clearly understood, we herewith give
reference to an accompanying Sheet of Drawings of parts of an ordinary hand
mule, with our improvements applied thereto.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the headstock, with rim shaft and
driving pullies, band pullies, and other pullies for conducting the driving
bands to the various parts of the machine or apparatus, with an end view of
the carriage, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, the two ends of the
carriage being broken away. The general features of this machine being so
well known to those conversant with spinning machinery that we consider it
is not necessary to give reference to all the parts thereof, but only to such as
will enable us to explain the nature and application of our improvements.
The first part of our improvements is the application of a scroll or spiral
pulley A, which is fixed on the shaft A', usually having a pinion thereon in
self-acting mules for giving motion to the "quadrant" employed for letting off*
the chain or cord to vary the speed of the "tin roller," or the roller which
drives the spindles. This scroll receives alternate rotary motion from the
traverse or in-and-out movement of the carriage in the usual manner, and the
variations of letting off are effected by the ends of the driving cord being
attached to a nut B upon a screw B₁ mounted in bearings attached to the
carriage, and to which screw intermittent rotary motion is given by means of
a chain C, driven by the tin roller, operating a pair of bevel wheels D, one of
which is fixed on the screw and brought into action by the wapper rod.
The second part of this Invention is the application of a tappet wheel E
(instead of the "cam shaft"), which is cogged on its perhiphery or edge, and
having a tappet or cam groove formed on its side, and is mounted upon a
shaft F supported on the headstock in bearings F1 and F, the former being
capable of swivelling and the latter of sliding to allow of the tappet' being
placed in or out of gear with a pinion G mounted upon a short shaft, on which
is another pinion G' in gear with a pinion G² on another shaft, on which also
is fixed a band pulley G³ for receiving rotary motion from a band pulley G*,

page_text: which we place on the rim shaft in addition to the ordinary driving pullies.
The tappet E is held in gear by. a catch E, and turned in direction of the
arrow, and by means of a lever H connected by a rod H² to a lever H² on an
upright shaft H³, on which is another lever H, the friction box is thrown into
gear for backing-off, and by means of a pin E in the tappet the catch is
liberated and the tappet slips out of gear, and at the same time the lever H
draws the friction box out of gear.
The third part of our Invention is the application of a double scroll I for
putting up the carriage, which is brought into action by ordinary catch boxes
J put into gear by the tappet E and lever H, and out of gear by a rod K
connected to a lever L on the upright shaft, on which rod is fixed an adjust-
able boss M, which is operated by a loop plate N fixed to the back of the
carriage, so that when the carriage is nearly put up the rod K is forced back,
throwing the catch boxes out of gear.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Houghton, for and on behalf of
myself and the said George Burrows and Charley Oldroyd, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
W. HOUGHTON.
(L.S.)