Improvements in Self-acting Mules for Spinning.
Year: 1898

page_text: Complete Specification Left, 6th May, 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self-acting Mules for Spinning.
We, FREDERICK NORRIS, of 2, Blackshaw Lane, and THOMAS BAILEY, of 11,
Blackshaw Lane, both of Royton, in the County of Lancaster, Spinners, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
The object of this invention is to provide self-acting mules for spinning with
means, which when the twist band begins to rove, will stop the mule automati-
cally and also means whereby in case of accident or when otherwise necessary the
mule can be stopped from any part of the carriage.
To this end we suitably mount near the back end of the headstock a cross shaft
one end of which has secured a forked lever through which the twist band runs
and when roving is caught and actuated by the twist band.
The fored end of the said lever is formed with a movable side placed under the
influence of a spring and rendered adjustable relative to the fixed side by means
of a screw, whereby the width of the fork can be varied in accordance with the
thickness of the twist band.
The
The other end of this cross shaft has secured another lever connected by a rod
extending along the side of the headstock, to another lever secured to the lower
end of a vertical shaft suitably mounted near the front end of the headstock.
upper end of this vertical shaft has a projection adapted to support a vertical rod
suitably mounted and placed under the influence of a spring. The lower end of
this rod is formed or furnished with a foot adapted to press upon the holding out
catch of the taking up friction when the said rod is released by the said pro-
jection.
In connection with a projection on the said rod a spring catch is employed
which falls upon the same and locks the rod in position when its foot is upon the
said holding out catch. The upper end of this rod is linked to the change lever
so as to pull the latter down when the rod drops. In connection with the upper
end of the said rod a hand lever is also employed by means of which, after having
withdrawn the said spring catch, the rod can be raised to its normal position,
in which it is held by the projection on the upper end of the said vertical shaft
being moved under the projection on the vertical rod by the influence of a spring
suitably employed in connection with the said vertical shaft or connecting rod.
It will thus be readily understood that when the mule is working the said
vertical rod is in its upper position and that as soon as the twist band begins to
rove it will actuate the respective fork and through the connections described
release and cause the said rod to bring its foot upon the holding out catch and at
the same time pull down the change lever and thus stop the mule.
In order to enable the operative to stop the mule from any part of the carriage
a cord adapted to be pulled is connected to the lever on the said vertical shaft

page_text: or to the respective end of the connecting rod and by means of suitably positioned
pulleys passed along the length of and round the end of the carriage and secured
to a fixed part at the back of the mule.
Dated this 5th day of August 1808
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
Agents to Applicants.
improvements in Self-acting Mules for Spinning.
We, FREDERICK NORRIS, of 2, Blackshaw Lane, and THOMAS BAILEY, of 11,
Blackshaw Lane, both of Royton, in the County of Lancaster, Spinners, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement;-
The object of this invention is to provide self-acting mules for spinning with
means, which when the twist band begins to rove, will stop the mule automati-
cally and also means whereby in case of accident or when otherwise necessary the
mule can be stopped from any part of the carriage.
And in order that our invention may be more fully understood we have caused
to be appended hereunto one sheet of drawings marked with letters of reference
indicating like parts in the various figures, Fig. 1 being a side view and Fig. 2
a plan of our invention as applied to the headstock of the "Platt" type of mule,
and Figs. 3 & 4 are detached end views thereof. Figs. 5 & 7 side views and
Figs. 6 & 8 plans respectively of our improvements as applied to the headstock
of the "Asa Lees" type of mule, and Fig. 9 a diagram of a whole mule.
In carrying out our invention and referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3 & 4, we suitably
mount near the back end of the headstock a, a cross shaft b, one end of which has
secured a lever jointed to a forked lever c through which the twist band d
runs and which when the twist band is roving is caught and actuated by the same.
The fork end of the lever c is formed with movable sides e, see Figs. 2 & 3,
each placed under the influence of a spring f and rendered adjustable relative to
the fixed side, by means of a screw and nuts g or the like whereby the width
of the fork of the lever c can be varied in accordance with the thickness of the
twist band and the movable sides being under the influence of springs they will
give way to obstructions on the bands and thereby prevent the fork being broken.
The other end of the cross shaft b has secured another lever connected by a
rod placed under the influence of a spring and extending along the side of
the headstock, to another lever secured to the lower end of a vertical shaft 1,
see more particularly, Fig. 4, suitably mounted near the front end of the head-
stock. The upper end of the vertical shaft has a projection or arm m adapted
to support a vertical rod n suitably mounted and placed under the influence of a
spring o. The lower end of the rod n is formed or furnished with a foot p
adapted to press upon or strike the holding out catch 7 of the taking-up friction
(not shown) when the rod n is released by the projection or arm m, whilst its
upper end is linked to the change levers and when dropping pulls the same down.
In connection with the upper end of the rod na hand lever r is also employed,
by means of which, the rod n can be raised to its normal position, shown in the
drawing, in which it is held by the projection or arm on the upper end of the

page_text: vertical shaft being moved under the projection m¹ on the vertical rod n by the
influence of a spring h¹ suitably employed in connection with the latter or the
connecting rod i.
It will thus be readily understood that when the mule is working, the vertical
rod n is in its upper or normal position and as soon as the twist band d begins to
rove, it will draw the forked lever c with it and through the connections described,
release and cause the rod n with its foot p to drop upon the holding out catch q
and at the same time pull down the change levers and thus stop the mule.
In lieu of the vertically fulcrumed lever and arm k, m described, a lever t
horizontally fulcrumed to a bracket u may be employed as shown in Figs. 5 & 6,
its upper end being adapted to support the rod n in its upper or normal position
and its lower end jointed to the connecting rod i. When the latter is drawn in
the direction of the arrow, the lever t releases the rod n and the springs on the
latter forces it upon the holding out catch g and operates same as previously
described.
In types of mules such as "Asa Lees'" where the change lever and holding out
catch of the taking-in friction are not employed on the same side of the head-
stock, we actuate the holding out catch q from the connecting rod i, as shown in
Figs. 7 & 8, as follows:-
Adjacent to the holding out catch we employ on a suitable bracket v, a ver-
tical lever, the lower end of which is jointed to a rod passing across under-
neath the headstock, the other end of which is jointed to a collar w loose on the
connecting rod i, which in this case is operated direct from the lower end of the
forked lever e through which the twist band runs and has a fast collar x which
when the connecting rod i is pulled in the direction of the arrow, engages the
loose collar w and thereby actuates the rod v³.
Upon the upper end of the lever ₁ rests a projection y placed under the influ-
ence of a spring y', which when the said forked lever is actuated by the twist
band and the upper end of the said lever is drawn from underneath the said pro-
jection, the latter strikes the holding out catch q and actuates the same as pre-
viously described.
Referring to Fig. 9, in order to enable the operative to stop the mule from any
part of the carriage, a cord adapted to be pulled, is secured to the lever k on
the vertical shaft 7 or to the respective end of the connecting rod i and by suit-
ably positioned pulleys passed along one side and around the end of the car-
riage and secured to a fixed part at the back of the mule, whilst another cord i¹
preferably secured to the forked lever c is passed over suitable pulleys along the
other side of the carriage and secured to a fixed part 3 at the front of the mule.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;-
1st. In self-acting mules, means for simultaneously actuating the change levers
and holding out catch q which means are under the control of a forked lever c
actuated by the twist band when roving or by hand, all substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
2nd. In the motion specified in the preceding claim, a lever and an arm, one of
which is adapted to alternately support and release a rod n placed under the
influence of a spring o, and the other, by a rod i connected to the forked lever c,
which latter is actuated by the twist band when it is roving and the rod n being
adapted to operate the change lever's and holding out catch q simultaneously
when released by the said lever or arm, all substantially as set forth.
3rd. The means for stopping the mule from any part of the carriage consist-
ing of a cord or cords carried along the carriage and one end being secured to a
stationary part and the other to the connecting rod i or equivalent part of the
motion specified in the preceding claims, all substantially as set forth.

page_text: 4th. The forked lever c formed with an adjustable side or sides e each placed
under the influence of a spring f, all substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Dated this 5th day of April 1899
..
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation 'Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicants.