CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR ROVING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, BENJAMIN
DOBSON, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, and
JOHN SUTCLIFF, and RICHARD THRELFALL, both of the same place, Mechanics,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster on the Sixth day of February, in the fourth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Benjamin Dobson, John Sutcliff, and Richard Threlfall, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that we, the said Benjamin Dobson, John Sutcliff, and Richard
Threlfall, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Benjamin Dobson, John Sutcliff, and Richard Threlfall, our exccutors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR ROVING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that we, the said Benjamin Dobson, John Sutcliff, and Richard Threlfall,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in His said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within four calendar months next and

page_text: immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Benjamin Dobson, John Sutcliff, and Richard Threlfall, do hereby declare
the nature of our said Invention of Certain Improvements in Machinery for
Roving and Spinning Cotton and other Fibrous Materials, to consist in
certain arrangements of machinery, by which we effect certain movements in
the machines known by the names of the streching frame and the mule,
which movements have heretofore, in machines of the ordinary construction,
been performed by hand, so that the application of our Invention renders ordi-
nary machines of this description what is called "self-acting."
And the manner in which our Invention is to be performed and carried
into effect will be more clearly seen by reference to the annexed Drawings, in all
which various views and sections of machinery letters and figures of reference are
used, the same letters and figures of reference denoting the same part throughout
the whole of the Drawings. In these Drawings application of our Invention
is made to the machine called the mule, as herein-after described, and this
application will bo found sufficient to enable any person conversant with
spinning or spinning machinery to make a similar application of our Invention
to the roving or stretching frame, when it may be required. But before we
commence the description of the annexed Drawings we shall briefly state the
various movements required to bo performed by the machine called the mule
to render the following description of the Drawings more clear. The spinning
action, or the putting in of the twist to the yarn or thread manufactured on this
machine, proceeds (as is well known to spinners) during the coming out of the
carriage, and continues for a short time after it has arrived at the end of the
stretch or greatest distance from the drawing or delivering rollers; and as
soon as the spinning action has ceased it is required to reverse the rotation of
the spindles, for the purpose of unwinding or "backing off" the accumulation
of spiral coils which arrange themselves on the bare part of the spindles
during the spinning. These spiral coils will be seen at "a, a, a, Figures 3,
4, and 5."
At the same time as this breaking off' is proceeding, the faller wire
is depressed for the purpose of carrying the yarn or thread to the lower part of
the spindle, where it is subsequently wound on in the form of what is called
the cop, during the putting up or going in of the carriage. A cop of yarn,
which it is the object of this machine to construct, is generally built on the
bare spindle, and consists of a succession of layers or windings on of yarn placed
in a conical form, one of which is added to the cop at every going in or putting

page_text: up of the carriage, the finished cop and spindle being represented at full size
at Figure 5, Sheet 1. Thus the amount of yarn or thread spun and com-
pleted during the spinning action and coming out of the carriage is wound on
to the surface of the cop during the going in or putting up of the carriage, to
effect which the following four movements are required:-First, "the backing
off; second, the putting down and guiding the faller; third, the putting
up or taking in the carriage; and, fourth, the winding on of the amount of
yarn which had been spun during the preceeding stretch.
We shall now proceed to describe, with reference to the annexed Drawings,
the manner in which we effect these four movements at the various periods of
time when they are required for the proper action of the machine, always con-
sidering the reader to be acquainted with the ordinary machine to which our
improvements are to be applied.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a side elevation or part of an ordinary mule
to which our improvements are applied, some of the ordinary geering being
delineated for the purpose of making the application of our Invention
better understood. A is a section of the drawing rollers, and the dotted
line A indicates the direction of the yarn or thread to the point of the
spindle during the spinning. A is the carriage, which is shown as
at the end of a stretch or the greatest distance from the drawing rollers
great A. Thus, supposing the spinning action to have ceased, the "backing
of would be the next movement required. The stopping of the spinning
action of the machine is not effected by traversing the strap from
a fast to a loose pully, as in ordinary mules, but by liberating or elevating
the interior of a conical coupling B₁, best seen in Figure 6 and 7, Sheet 2,
the exterior part being marked B. B is the driving shaft of the machine, and
B3 the strap by which it is driven. The worm B3', which is placed on the
driving shaft in the ordinary manner, for the purpose of bringing what is called
the second speed into action, drives the worm wheel B, on the axis of which is
placed a wiper or tappit B, as best seen in a side view of this part at
Figure 8, in such position that as soon as the shaft B has made a certain
amount of revolutions, and the spinning is required to cease, it comes in contact
with a small projection B3, from the lever B³. See Figure 8. The elevating of
this lever B carries along with it a perpendicular rod B, and the interior of
the conical coupling B", which ceases the spinning; the drum band, by which
the spinning is effected, passing round the pulley C, to which the lower part
of the coupling B, and the spur wheel C, are connected. After the coupling
B and B is liberated, and the spinning has ceased, the lever B continues to
ise by the action of the tappit B, and carrying along with it the connecting rod

page_text: D. and the lever D', liberates the weighted lever D, which immediately forces
the vibrating shaft D³ and pinion D' into geer with the wheel C'. Now, by
tracing tho rotation of the driving shaft, which is indicated by the arrow at 13³,
it will be seen that a reverse motion is conveyed to the wheel C through the
train of wheels D, D, D, D, to the pinion D, and the rim or pulley C,
which carries the drum band, being a part of the wheel C', the spindles are
reversed, and the backing off' is effected. The putting down of the faller, which
is required to proceed at the same time as the "backing off," will be best seen
by reference to Figure 1, Sheet 1, in which E represents a pully supported
on an upright shaft in the carriage, round which the drum band E is passed,
for the purpose of driving the spindles by means of a similar pulley E¹. On
the under surface of E' is placed a catch which takes into a face ratchet E
when the backing off or reverse motion of the drum bands takes place, but runs
free of the ratchet E when the spinning is proceeding. Below, and attached
to the ratchet E, is a pinion geering into the rack E. This pinion and the
ratchet E, being both loose on the upright shaft, remain in the position seen in
the Drawing during the spinning; but as soon as the backing off commences,
the reverse rotation of the pully E forces the rack E in the direction shewn
by the arrow, which, elevating the horizontal arm of the bell crank E, elevates
the small lever E, which is placed on the faller shaft. The weight E' is also
placed on the faller shaft; and as soon as it has vibrated in the direction
of the arrow over the centre of the faller shaft, it forces down the faller to the
point required. The amount of depression which it is required that the faller
should make is decreased in every succeeding stretch, as will more clearly
appear by reference to Figure 5, where the oblique line indicates the various
windings-on at each successive going in of the carriage. This decrease of
depression of the faller is effected by the position of the inclined bar F, seen
in Figure 2, which represents a back view of part of the carriage to which
this movement is attached. F is a small arm projecting from the faller shaft,
which rests on the inclined piece F; when the faller is depressed and in the po-
sition shewn at Figure 2, the faller is supposed to be at its greatest depression,
or at the commencement of the building of a cop, as seen at full size at
Figure 3. represents a ratchet wheel, which is geered by a decreasing speed
to the screw F. On this screw is placed the nut F, carrying the inclined
piece in the direction of the arrow, and also allowing it a perpendicular
vibration on the centre F. On referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that the
same motion of the bell crank E gathers a tooth in the ratchet wheel F
which, carrying the inclined piece F in the direction already described. presents
a more elevated part of the inclined piece F. to arrest the fall of the lever F

page_text: and thereby decreases the depression of the faller wire at every stretch, as is
required. During the going in of the carriage, the position of the faller is
varied, for the purpose of distributing the yarn over the various circumferences
of the cop, and by lashing it, as it is termed, tying or binding it firmier together.
This is effected by the form of the circular face plate F, as seen at Figure 1,
the upper surface of which being of a varied elevation vibrates the lever F',
which moves on its fulcrum at F. This lever F7 supports the inclined piece F,
as seen at Figure 2, and by the up-and-down motion conveyed to the lever F
effects the lashing as it is termed during the going in of the carriage. As
soon as the carriage has arrived at the front roller, it is required to move the
faller to the back of the spindles, that the spinning may recommence, which
is effected by the stud G coming in contact with another projection G' from
the faller shaft, which by its curved form vibrates the tumbler weights E
over the centre to the back of the faller shaft, which immediately elc-
vates the faller wire free of the spindles. At the same time the stud G² comes
in contact with the tail end of the lever F, and raising it free of the face
plate Fe, and it is supported free of the face plate upon the short arm of the
lever G³ during the spinning; but as soon as the carriage arrives at the end of
the stretch, the lever G³ is elevated by the bell crank E³, and the lever F
is again liberated, to rest upon the face plate F, and recommences
its action during the next coming in of the carriage. As soon as the tappit B,
see Figure 8, has passed the stud B on the lever B, and it has resumed its
former position by means of the weight B (see Figure 6), it also carries
the weighted lever D, and vibrates the shaft 13 and pinion D' out of geer
with the wheel C', at the same time that it brings the wheels H and H' into
geer with each other, which, imparting motion to the pinion H, carries the
large wheel H³ in the direction of the arrow (see Figure 7). On one of the
arms of the wheel H³ is placed a connecting shalf H', the opposite extremity
of which is connected with the carriage at II, so that the half rotation which
is imparted to the wheel II by the pinion I brings in the carriage, which
motion is terminated by the small projection H striking (see Figure 1) against
the lever H, and liberating a notched bolt II, which had held the pinion H³
in geer with the wheel 13 up to that period. The opposite extremity of the
lever H (see Figure 6), which had held the perpendicular rod B', and the
interior of the conical coupling B1, disconnected up to this period, is also
releived, and falling into the exterior part D, the spinning actions of the rim C
is recommenced. Referring to Figure 1, the construction of this part of our
apparatus will be more clearly seen where the notched bolt II is shewn, with
the perpendicular lever and weight II, which are connected to the lever H

page_text: purpose
by a small horizontal rod, as seen in the Drawing. I is a counterweight, for
the
of disconnecting the pinion H out of geer with the wheel H³, as
soon as the carriage has arrived at the front rollers, and the bolt Hs is re-
moved. The advantages of this method of bringing in the carriage consists in its
great similarity to the putting up the same by hand, inasmuch as it is slowest
at the beginning and termination of the traverse, as is the case in all crank
motions which this resembles. The fourth and last motion, which is the
winding on, is required to vary in velocity at every successive traverse or going
in of the carriage, or, in other words, the winding on of the yarn to the bare
spindle, as shewn at Figure 3, will require a greater number of revolutions of
the spindle than will be required when the circumference of the cop has
increased to its greatest dimension, as shewn at Figure 4. which is called tho
cop bottom; but as soon as the cop bottom is formed, every succeeding layer
to the completion of the cop will require the same number of revolutions of tho
spindle. By tracing the course of the drum band E, in Figure 1, it will be
seen to pass from the carriage to pully K, fixed on an upright shaft, which
revolves during the spinning action of the machine; but as soon as the spinning
ceases, by the disconnection of the conical coupling B and B, and the carriage
commences its traverse towards the front rollers, the same wheel II, which
takes in the carriage, also carries with it the band K'. This band, passing round
the loose pully K on the same shaft as the pully K, carries K along with it, by
means of the catch and the face ratchet, as seen in the Drawing, this ratchet
being fast on the shaft, along with the pully K. Referring to Sheet 2,
Figure 7, it will be seen that the two extremeties of the band K' are attached
to racks, the position of which can be varied by the motion of the pinion
into which they geer, as seen at Figure 6, and in red lines at Figure 7.
Attached to this pinion is a spur wheel, geering into another pinion, for the
purpose of modifying its speed to a very slow motion. This train of wheels is
put in motion by the catch L, gathering a tooth in the ratchet attached to the
Inst pinion at every semi-revolution of the wheel 113. Thus, at the commence-
ment of the building of a cop, and when the spindles are required to move at
their greatest velocity, the two racks to which the band K' is attached are run
out to their greatest distance from the centre of the wheel H³, and the greatest
amount of motion is imparted to the band K, and consequently the revolution
of the spindles are at their greatest velocity; but as every semi-revolution of
the wheel I gathers a tooth in the ratchet which actuates the train of wheels
for drawing the racks inwards by means of the pinion into which they geer,
the distance from the centre of 11 to the points at which the band K' is
attached to the racks is decreased, and less motion imparted to the band K',

page_text: and thereby the velocity of the spindle is lessened, which is required. This
uniform decrease of the speed of the spindles is required at every stretch or
winding on, until the cop bottom is formed, at which period the catch L must be
put back, and not allowed to vary the position of the rack any further till the cop
is complete. It will be observed that the carriage is provided with the usual under
faller wire, which takes up the slack of the yarn when the winding-on is not
sufficiently quick for the motion of the carriage; but as soon as the cop bottom
is formed, the traverse of the upper faller wire is so arranged by the form of
the face plate F, that although there may be, at some period of the going in
of the carriage, slack yarn to be taken up by the under faller, the whole and
exact quantity is wound on and disposed of when the carriage arrives at the
front rollers.
Having described our certain improvements in roving and spinning cotton
and other fibrous materials in their application to the mule, for the purpose of
rendering that machine self-acting, we do hereby declare that we do not claim
any distinct or separate or well-known parts of such machinery; but we do
claim such combinations of parts as have herein-before been delineated and
described for effecting the four movements in that machine, called the
"backing off," the putting down and guiding the faller, the putting up or
taking in of the carriage, and the winding on or distributing the yarn in the
form of a cop at every successive stretch. And such our Invention being,
to the best of our knowledge and belief, new and never before used, wo
hereby deliver this as our true and faithful Specification of the same.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-four.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of May, in the
fourth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the said
Benjamin Dobson, John Sutcliff, and Richard Threlfall came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King
George the Third
Inrolled the Sixth day of June One thousand eight hundred and thirty-
four.