IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING OR TWINING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Higgins, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, and Thomas Schofield Whitworth, of the same
Place, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING OR TWINING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS."
Sealed the 21st January 1859, and dated the 22nd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Higgins and
Thomas Schofield Whitworth at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd July 1858.
We, HENRY HIGGINS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist,
and THOMAS SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH, of the same Place, Manager, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING OR TWINING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates, firstly, to a method of "putting up" the carriage of
mules, and consists in the employment for that purpose of levers jointed
together, which levers being caused to turn upon centres so as to become
straightened, push the carriage forward to the required position. A method.
we adopt for carrying out this part of our Invention consists in connecting the
carriage to the radial arm or similar apparatus used for winding on by means

page_text: of a link or rod, which therefore pushes the carriage forward during its
usual vibratory motion. The straightening of this rod or link will impart a
certain variable speed to the carriage, but in order to obtain a suitable range
of variation, we communicate a variable speed to the quadrant, and a method
we adopt for effecting this consists in the employment of a toothed scroll in
place of or in conjunction with the usual pinions. In the case of "twiners,"
the creel is moved as the carriage of the mule above described.
Secondly, our Invention refers to machines in which the "winding-on
drum" is mounted in the carriage, and consists in the employment of a rod or
link connected to the carriage for returning the quadrant or analogous part as
aforesaid to its starting position when the winding on has been effected.
Thirdly, our Invention relates to that part of the mule termed the "scroll,"
and consists in a substitution for that apparatus, whereby we are enabled to
employ a band which will continue to travel at the same angle to the
shaft, and we effect this by using an excentric or spiral pulley, one revolution
of which is sufficient for the full operation.
Fourthly, our Invention consists in the application of a friction clutch
for communicating motion from the escapement wheel to the change or
cam shaft, which escapement wheel or the said clutch we then drive by
gear.
Fifthly, our Invention consists in driving the change or cam shaft by a
friction pulley mounted upon the boss of the backing off wheel.
Sixthly, our Invention relates to a method of obtaining more than one
revolution, if necessary, of the snail or pulley on the axis of the tin drum for
pulling the faller down. This we accomplish by causing a catch which acts as
a.stop for the starting point of depressing the fallers to turn upon a centre so
as to pass the fixed stop should more than one revolution be required.
"
Seventhly, our Invention relates to a method of causing the "long lever
of mules to fall without concussion. For this purpose we apply an incline
plane to receive it and regulate its descent, such incline plane being acted
upon by a spring.
Eighthly, our Invention relates to a method of attaching or coupling parts of
mules. Upon the faller-arms,-for-instance, we cast or otherwise form a boss
provided with a flange on one side, which flange is split so as to constitute a
clamp within this the rod or shaft is placed and the split flange tightened by
-screws. In coupling shafts or other parts we form clamps as aforesaid, and
having placed the parts to be coupled therein, they are tightened as above
described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Higgins and Thomas Schofield. Whitworth in. the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 22nd January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
HIGGINS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, aud THOMAS
SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH, of the same Place, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Henry
Higgins and Thomas Schofield Whitworth, Her especial license that we, the said
Henry Higgins and Thomas Schofield Whitworth, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry Higgins and Thomas Schofield
Whitworth, our executors, 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
OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING OR TWINING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS," upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said Henry
Higgins and Thomas Schofield Whitworth, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, or under the band and seal of one of us, should par-
ticularly 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 Thomas Schofield Whitworth, 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:
The first part of our Invention relates to a method of putting up the
carriage of mules, and is shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying
Drawings, Fig. 1 being a side elevation of a mule beadstock, Fig. 2. a plan a
top view thereof, and Fig. 3 a partial end view, and Fig. 4 a detached repre-
sentation of a quadrant and lever, together with such parts as refer to our
Invention connected therewith. The carriage is shewn at a, and the shaft of the
"winding on drum" at b, from which the winding-on chain c passes as usual to
the nut of the regulating screw d. The quadrant is shewn at l, m, the line of

page_text: teeth of which instead of being concentric is partly excentric to the centre of
motion, as hereafter to be described.
Upon the axis f and fast with the
quadrant is an arm or lever g, to the extremity of which are jointed rods h,
connected at their other ends to the carriage a at the point A; if therefore the
quadrant be turned upon its centre in the direction of the arrow, the arm or
lever moving therewith, will push forward the carriage through the
intervention of the rods h, and it will thus be "put up" as required. The
mode by which we cause the quadrant to be turned upon its centre is as
follows: 40 is the driving pulley fastened on the rim shaft 41. The self-
acting pulley is at 42, running loose on the rim shaft 41. Upon the boss of
the pulley 42 is attached the pinion 43, gearing into wheel 44, fastened to,
the shaft 45; the wheel 44 is hollowed out to receive a friction cone, or a
clutch box may be used, and when the driving strap is on the self-acting
pulley 42, and the carriage is required to be put up, the shaft 45 is moved
endways by the cam shaft, and the wheel 44 is brought into contact with the
friction cone 46, and communicates motion to it. This cone pulley is fastened
to the shaft g, and consequently communicates motion thereto, and to the
bevil pinion 47 fastened thereon. This pinion being geared to a wheel 48
fastened on the shaft 49, communicates rotatory motion thereto. Upon the shaft
49 is fastened the spiral or toothed scroll wheel i, k, gearing into the quadrant
l, m, which is thus caused to be turned upon its centre, and so put up the
carriage as described. When the carriage has arrived at the roller beam and
is put up, the shaft 45 is moved endways so as to disconnect the wheel 44
from the friction conc 46; and ceases to give the latter motion. The bringing
back of the quadrant to the position it occupied previously to the carriage
being put up is effected by the carriage, which being brought out in the
The above.
ordinary manner raises the lever g by the action of the rods h.
description shews how the putting up of the carriage is effected by the
straightening of jointed levers, and which arrangement constitutes one of
our improvements; and this straightening of the levers may be effected by an
ordinary quadrant-or-wheel.-We-find, however, that it is desirable to intro-
dúce another element for the purpose of gaining an advantageous variation in
the motion of the carriage; to this end we employ a toothed scroll or spiral
acting upon the teeth of the quadrant instead of an ordinary spur pinion. The
construction of this apparatus is shewn at Figs. 2, 3, and 4.
The pinion is
formed in two parts i, k, situate side by side, each of which has an excentric
pitch line, and it constitutes therefore a double spiral or scroll; there is, however,
a concentric portion for imparting during its operation an uniform motion
to the quadrant. The teeth of the quadrant are also in two parallel divisions

page_text: l, m, corresponding to the situations of the two parts of the scroll, and their
pitch lines are excentric to the centre of motion excepting for a portion of their
length, so as to correspond to the pitch lines of the double spiral or scroll.
At the commencement of putting up the carriage, the smallest diameter at 1 of
the spiral is in gear at 2 with the part of the quadrant, and upon rotatory
motion being communicated to the said spiral it will impart its slowest speed to
the quadrant, and consequently through the connexion g, h, to the carriage.
As this spiral revolves, its teeth 1 to 16 inclusive will act upon the teeth in
the part of the quadrant, and thus one revolution of its shaft will have taken
place, during which the motion of the carriage will have been gradually
increasing in speed until the last few teeth impart an uniform rate of running
in. The operation having thus far taken place the tooth 17 will enter the
portion m of the quadrant, to which it will impart an uniform motion by a
concentric pitch line until the tooth 26 becomes in gear, after which
it will be decreased in speed until the operation of putting up is concluded
by the tooth 34. In the above description there are two parts i, k, to
the spiral pinion, but three or more may be in like manner be combined
working into corresponding racks. During the above movement of the
carriage, the radial arm n will have been allowed to descend as in the ordinary
working of a mule for regulating the winding on. The following is the
arrangement we adopt :-The radial arm n is mounted loosely upon the axis f
of the quadrant, and to it is attached a chain o, which is wound at its other
end upon a scroll p, mounted upon the shaft of the quadrant pinion; as there-
fore this shaft revolves, the chain o is given off in the proportion for effecting
the required winding on, and it restores the radial arm to its starting position
upon the reversed motion of the shaft q, having taken place through the
quadrant 1, m. We have above particularly alluded to machines in which the
carriage is caused to travel, but our Invention is also applicable to those
arrangements called "turners," in which the creel performs that motion. We
have above particularly described a certain method of using the jointed levers
or rods for putting up the carriage; it will be evident, however, that various
combinations may be used therewith, and particularly we would mention that
an equivalent to the aforesaid arrangement may be adopted, in which the
lever g being placed on the other side of the carriage may cause it to be "
up" by drawing the rod h towards the said lever g.
put
The second part of our Invention was stated in our Provisional Specification
to refer to machines, in which the winding on drum is mounted in the carriage,
and to consist in the employment of a rod or link connected to the carriage
for returning the quadrant or analagous part to its starting position, when the

page_text: winding on has been effected; but since the filing of the said Provisional
Specification we have found that this arrangement is not new, and lay no
claim thereto. The next part of our Invention relates to that part of the mule
termed the scroll," and consists in a substitute for that apparatus, whereby
we are enabled to employ a band which will continue to travel at the same
angle to the shaft, and we effect this by using an eccentric or spiral pulley,
one revolution of which is sufficient for the full operation. This arrangement
is shewn at Figs. 5 and 6, which represent partial views of a mule headstock
with the improvement applied. The scroll shaft is shewn at 2, driven by the
gearing s, as in ordinary arrangements, but it is in this instance placed some-
what higher in the framework. Upon this shaft is mounted an excentric t, to
which are attached the ends of two flat bands u, v, their other ends being
fastened to the carriage. The former of these bands is that used for putting
up the carriage, and it is therefore the stronger. The operation is precisely
that of ordinary mules, but it will be evident that by the above arrangement
the bands will, during their action and the variable speed which they com-
municate to the carriage, continue at one and the same angle to the scroll
shaft.
The fourth part of our Invention according to our Provisional Specification
consisted in the application of a friction clutch for communicating motion from
the escapement wheel to the change or cam shaft, but since the filing thereof
we have found that this arrangement is not new, and lay no claim thereto.
The next part of our Invention consists in driving the change or cam shaft by
a friction pulley mounted upon the boss of the "backing-of wheel." This
arrangement is shewn in Fig. 2 before referred to, and in Fig. 7, in which W
is the backing-off wheel, upon the boss of which is mounted a friction wheel x,
bearing against the escapement wheel-y, and by which friction surface the
change or cam shaft z is therefore driven.
The next part of our Invention consists in a method of obtaining more than
one revolution if necessary of the snail pulley or disc on the axis of the tin
-drum-for-pulling the fallers down; this arrangement is shewn detached at Figs.
8, 9, and 10. The axis of the tin drum is shewn at a, and the ordinary snail
or disc which acts by means of its chain upon the faller rods at U. Upon this
disc is mounted, so to turn upon a centre pin, a tumbler consisting of two parts
c, d, the one situate in the same plane as a fixed stop piece c, and the other in
the same plane as another stop piece f. To the disc is fixed a pin g, which
projects sufficiently to prevent the part c of the tumbler from turning in one
direction, but not far enough to act in like manner in reference to the part d.
The boss of the tumbler is formed, with two flat surfaces (shewn by dots in

page_text: Fig. 8), against either of which a spring / attached to the disc is capable of
acting so as to bring the said tumbler to a definite position when turned upon
its centre. According to the position shewn in the Figs. 8 and 9, the snail or
dise is at its starting position, and is prevented from turning beyond it in
direction of the black arrow by the part c of the tumbler being in contact
with the fixed stop e, which tumbler is prevented from turning upon its centre
by the pin g. This condition therefore is precisely that which exists in the
ordinary arrangement before the motion of the fallers is required. When the
snail or disc is caused by its ratchet wheel to turn as usual in the direction of
the red arrow, it carries bodily with it the tumbler c, d, and the spring / also
moving therewith, it is retained in the same position. Upon one revolution,
however, having been nearly completed, the part c arrives in contact with the
fixed stop e, whereby the tumbler is caused to turn upon its centre into the
position shewn at Fig. 10, and the snail or disc. may continue to revolve so as
to effect an extended action of the fallers. Suppose the disc thus to have
revolved for a portion of a second revolution in the direction of the red arrow,
carrying with it the tumbler in the position shewn at Fig. 10, its return
motion in the direction of the black arrow will bring the part d of the tumbler
against the fixed stop piece f, by which means the said tumbler will be caused
to turn upon its centre, so as to bring it into the position first described, and
securely locked between the stop e and pin g.
The next part of our Invention according to our Provisional Specification
was stated to relate to a method of causing the "long lever" of mules to fall
without concussion, for which purpose we proposed to employ an inclined
plane to receive it and regulate its descent, such inclined plane being acted
upon by a spring, but since the filing of the said Specification we have found
that there is not suflicient novelty in this arrangement, and lay no claim
thereto.
The next part of our Invention relates to a method of attaching or coupling
parts of mules; this arrangement is shewn at Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14; in the first
two of these a fallen arm is represented at ; the boss is formed with a split
flange, and is secured upon the rod m by a screw n after the manner of a
clamp. In Figs. 13 and 14, two portions of a faller rod are represented at
m, m, and they are coupled together by a boss o, provided with two split
flanges l, tightened by by screws n.
Having thus descriped and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, we desire it to be understood
that we claim as secured to us under the above in part recited Letters
Patent,-

page_text: Firstly, the employment of jointed rods or levers for putting up the carriage
or creel, and working in concert with a quadrant or other part of the mule.
Also the employment of the scroll or spiral pinion constructed as above
described for giving motion to a quadrant wheel or rack.
- Secondly, the employment of an excentric or equivalent apparatus in place
of the usual "scroll," the essential feature of this part of our Invention being
the employment of a band which continues to act at the same angle to the
shaft.
change" or "cam shaft" by a friction surface
Thirdly, driving the "change" or
mounted on the boss of the "backing-off wheel."
Fourthly, the adaptation to the snail pulley or disc, for acting upon the
fallers, of a part acting as a stop, but capable of allowing more than one
revolution if required.
Fifthly, the method of attaching or coupling parts of mules.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
THOMAS SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH. (L.S.)