IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDING APPARATUS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Andrew Muir and James M°Ilwham,
of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Machinists, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 13th July 1866, and dated the 16th January 1866.
FROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Andrew Muir
and James McIlwham at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 16th January 1866.
We, MATTHEW ANDREW MUIR and JAMES MCILWHAM, of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Machinists, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDING APPARATUS,"
to be as follows, that is to say:―
This Invention relates to winding apparatus of various kinds, and comprises
improved arrangements capable of modification to suit each kind, whilst a
principal feature of all the modifications is the automatic stoppage of any one
spindle independently of the others when its yarn or thread breaks or fails,
such stoppage being effected by the positive movement of a suitable part of
the apparatus.
In one modification of the improved arrangements suitable for winding on
pirns or into cops, each spindle is driven by means of a pair of toothed bevil
[Price 8d.]

page_text: wheels whence it derives a uniform motion, whilst to suit the different diameters
of the conical surface of the pirn or cop without varying the tension of the
yarn a rocking or vibrating guide is employed for the yarn to pass over. This
vibrating guide acts by, as it were, taking up the slack that would be produced
with a uniform delivery from the reel when the pirn or cop is winding the lesser
quantity on to the smaller part of the cone, and by giving back what it took up
when the pirn or cop is winding the larger quantity on the wider
part of the conc. The spindle which actually carries the pirn
moves vertically in a tubular spindle, from which it is driven by
means of a
groove and key, and the tubular spindle receives its
motion from the bevil wheel by means of a frictional coupling,
being stopped when required by being lifted so as to take the
frictional coupling surfaces out of contact by a counterweighted stopping lever,
which acts on a collar formed on the tubular spindle for that purpose. A
hollow conical former is used to form, compress, and equalise the conical sur-
face of the wound yarn, and this former is stationary whilst the pirn spindle
is pressed up towards it by a counterweighted lever which acts on a collar
on the spindle. There is a weighted holding lever which hangs vertically, and
which holds up the stopping lever by means of a notch and tooth, but as the
pirn fills its spindle gradually descends, and on the pirn being quite full causes
the counterweighted lever to move the holding lever SO 23 to re-
lease the stopping lever and thereby stop the motion. When re-
moving the pirn it is necessary to take off the pressure of the
counterweighted lever, and this is done by pressing this lever a
little further down by means of its front end made to project conveniently
for the purpose, when a tooth on its side engages under a notch or shoulder
formed in the holding lever. The stop motion comprises a horizontally sliding
piece, the front end of which rests on the axial rocking spindle of the vibrating
yarn guide, whilst its back end has an inclined slot in which is entered a pin
fixed in the holding lever. The inner end of the sliding piece also rests upon
a laterally projecting tooth on the stopping lever. On a pin fixed at the front
of the sliding piece there is set a light and delicately poised bell-crank finger;
this finger is formed with a front vertical arm proceeding down-
wards, and having its lower end bent into a
horizontal position,
and it is over this horizontal part that the yarn
The other arm extends horizontally inwards, and has
at its end bent horizontally at a right angle to
rocking spindle there is fixed a stop lever or dog,
course a constant positive vibrating motion. When
or thread passes.
the
a short piece
arm. On the
which has of
the tension of

page_text: the yarn acts on the bell-crank finger. it keeps the inner end clear
of the dog but on the yarn failing the inner end of the finger
comes in the way of the dog and the next inward vibration of
the spindle and dog carries the sliding piece sufficiently inwards
to throw off the holding lever, and by thus releasing the stopping lever to
arrest the motion of the spindle. The connection of the inner end of the
sliding piece with the holding and stopping levers is contrived in the manner
herein-before described, in order that when the stopping action has taken
place the vibrating dog may not continue to act on the sliding piece (until
the parts are reinstated), this effect being obtained by a slight additional
inward and angular movement of the sliding piece due to the slot and pin at
the inner end, and to its resting on the stopping lever and descending
with it.
In a second slightly different modification the spindle is driven by means
of a disc resting on and actuated by the edge of one of a series of discs fast
on a horizontal shaft, which reciprocates longitudinally to vary the speed of
the spindles to suit the different diameters of the conical surface of the pirn
or cop. Each spindle is put out of gear by being lifted a little, which takes
its disc out of contact from the driving disc below, and it is lifted by the
action of a counterweighted stopping lever проп a collar formed
on it for the purpose. Whilst the winding operation progresses
the weighted end of the stopping lever is held up by the notch of a vertical
holding lever, which catches on a tooth on the side of the stopping
lever. A hollow conical former is used to form, compress, and equalise the
conical surface of the wound yarn; and this former rises in guides as the
winding proceeds until the pirn is filled or the cop completed,
when it acts on the upper end of the holding lever and makes it release the
stopping lever. When the yarn breaks or fails the lower end of the holding
lever is moved inwards so as to release the stopping lever by
a horizontally sliding piece having a slot at its inner end, in which is entered
a pin fixed in the holding lever. The inner end of the sliding
picce also rests upon the laterally projecting tooth of the stopping lever, whilst
its front end is guided in a slot in a bracket or plate fixed to the bar or rail
in front of the spindles, and over which the yarn ordinarily passes
on its way to the pirn. The front end of the sliding piece is
formed with an arm projecting partly downwards and then horizontally for-
wards, and on an adjustable pin on this arm there is centred a bent lever, the
front part of which is directed upwards and has a horizontal pin or wire fixed
in the end for the yarn to pass over; whilst the inner part

page_text: extends backwards and has a catch tooth formed on its end.
This catch
tooth on the bent yarn lever is designed to engage with a catch tooth on
a rod fixed to the traverse rail behind, and this traverse catch rod has of
course a regularly reciprocating traverse backwards and forwards. The
bent yarn lever has its movements limited by stops and is delicately poised,
so that when the strain of the yarn is on it its inner end keeps clear of
the traverse catch rod, but the moment the yarn breaks or fails and its
strain is removed the bent yarn lever tilts slightly but sufficiently to cause
its catch tooth to engage with the traverse catch rod.
The consequence
is that at the next inward traverse of the catch rod it draws the sliding
piece inwards and so throws off the holding lever, and the stopping lever
being thereby released lifts the spindle out of gear. The inner end of the
sliding piece descends with the weighted side of the stopping lever, its
slot, which is inclined to case this movement, sliding on the pin of the
holding lever, and this moves the bent yarn lever clear of the traverse rod,
so that this rod does not again act until the parts are reinstated. On the
yarn being replaced or renewed the parts are all put in their proper
positions, and the spindle is restarted by simply depressing the front end
of the stopping lever.
In a third modification, and which is in some respects preferable to the
second, the spindles are arranged and driven as in the second modification,
but the sliding piece of the stopping details carries a finger arranged and
acting as in the first modification, being acted upon by a vibrating dog
on the rail or horizontal spindle in front, this spindle being made to rock
by means of a lever and link connecting it to the traverse rail, or to any
other suitably moving part of the apparatus.
The stopping details can be easily adapted to other modifications of
spindles and gear besides those described, it being simply necessary
connect the sliding piece with whatever detail is provided for stopping the
spindle's motion.
med
the said Matthew Andrew Muir and James McIlwham in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th July 1866.
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. we, MATTHEW
ANDREW MUIR and JAMES MILWHAM, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Machinists, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Matthew Andrew Muir and James McIlwham,
Her special licence that we, the said Matthew Andrew Muir and James
Mellwham, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Matthew Andrew Muir and James McIlwham, 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 WINDING APPARATUS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Matthew Andrew
Muir and James M'Ilwham, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of 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 Matthew Andrew Muir and James
Mollwham, 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 in writing, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to winding apparatus of various kinds, and
comprises improved arrangements capable of modification to suit each
kind, whilst a principal feature of all the modifications is the automatic
stoppage of any one spindle independently of the others when its yarn or
thread breaks or fails, such stoppage being effected by the positive move-
ment of a suitable part of the apparatus.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood we have hereunto appended three
Sheets of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and repre-
senting certain practically successful modifications of our improved arrange-
ments. The same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like
parts throughout the various Figures.
One modification is shown upon Sheet 1 of the Drawings, Figure 1
being a partially sectioned end elevation of the winding frame, and Figure 2

page_text: a side elevation of a portion of the frame at one end, whilst Figure 3 is an
enlarged transverse vertical section of the details to which the present
Invention more particularly relates. With the exception of the details
for effecting the stoppage of each spindle when its thread fails, the various
movements of the machine are essentially the same as those represented
and described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to us, dated
10th September 1863 (No. 2233); a comparison of the Drawings however
appended to that Specification with our present Drawings will make
evident a few differences of form and arrangement, with reference to which
we would here observe that the present Drawings represent the machines
in their most approved form. To facilitate the explanation of the stop
movements we will first briefly describe the construction and working
arrangement of the spindles and of the other details immediately con-
nected therewith. The machine is for winding yarn or thread upon
pirns or into cops, and the spindles 1 are disposed vertically, being held in
an upper frame rail 2 and by lower brackets 3. Each spindle 1 is driven
by means of a pair of toothed bevil wheels 4, 5, whence it derives a uniform
motion, whilst to suit the different diameters of the conical surface of the
pirn or cop 6, without varying the tension of the yarn 7, a rocking or
vibrating guide 8 is employed for the yarn to pass over. This vibrating
guide 8 acts by, as it were, taking up the slack that would be produced
with a uniform delivery from the reel, or bobbin when the pirn or cop is
winding the lesser quantity on the smaller part of the cone, and by giving
back what it took up when the pirn or cop is winding the larger quantity on
the wider part of the cone. The yarn or thread 7 passes from the vibrating
guide 8 to a vibrating guide finger 9, which leads it directly upon the
cone so as to cause it to wind thereon in successive conical layers up and
down the cone alternately. The guide finger 9 is arranged and actuated
in the manner described in our earlier Specification herein-before referred
The spindle 1, which actually carries the pirn 6, moves vertically in
a tubular spindle 10, from which it is driven by incans of a groove and key,
and the tubular spindle 10 receives its motion from the bevil wheel 4 by
means of a frictional coupling 11, being stopped when required by being
lifted so as to take the coned frictional coupling surfaces out of contact by
a counterweighted stopping lever 12, which acts on a collar 13 formed on
the tubular spindle 10 for that purpose. A hollow conical former 14 is
used to form, compress, and equalise the conical surface of the wound yarn,
and this former 14 is stationary. being fixed to a standard bracket 15,
whilst the pirn spindle 1 is pressed up towards it by a counterweighted
to.

page_text: lever 16, which acts on a collar on the spindle, and which is centred on an
There is a weighted holding
fixed in the bracket 15, and
overhanging back part of the bracket 15.
lever 17 which hangs vertically from a pin
which holds up the stopping lever 12 by means of a notch at its bottom
end engaging under a tooth on the side of the latter; but as the pirn fills
its spindle 1 gradually descends, and on the pirn being quite full causes
the counterweighted lever 16 to move the holding lever 17 so as to release
the stopping lever 12 and thereby stop the motion. When removing the
pirn it is necessary to take off the pressure of the counterweighted lever 16,
and this is done by pressing this lever a little further down by means of
its front end made to project conveniently for the purpose, whereupon a
tooth on its side engages under a notch or shoulder formed in the holding
lever 17. In Figures and 2 the parts just described are shown in their
working positions, whilst in Figure 3 they are shown with the spindle out
of gear and stopped. Our improved protector stop motion comprises a
horizontal sliding piece 18, the front end of which rests on the axial
rocking spindle 19 of the vibrating yarn guide 8, whilst its back end has
an inclined slot 20, in which is entered a pin fixed in the holding lever 17.
The inner end of the sliding piece 18 also rests upon a laterally projecting
tooth on the stopping lever 12 (this tooth being in this example the one
under which the holding lever 17 catches). On a pin fixed at the upper
front end of the sliding piece there is set a delicately poised bell-crank yarn
finger or lever 21, 22, the movements of which are limited by wire stops
fixed along with the pin. This finger is formed with a front vertical arm
21 proceeding downwards, and having its lower end bent into a horizontal
position, and it is over this horizontal part that the yarn or thread 7 passes.
The other arm 22 extends horizontally inwards and has a short piece at
its end bent horizontally at a right angle to the arm. On the rocking
spindle 19 there is fixed a small stop lever or dog 23, which has of course
a constant positive vibrating motion. When the tension of the yarn 7
acts on the bell-crank finger 21 it keeps the inner end 22 clear of the dog
23, but on the yarn failing the inner end 22 of the finger comes in the way
down, and the next inward
being poised to fall
dog 23 acts through the finger on the
this piece sufficiently inwards to throw off
of the dog owing to its
vibration of the spindle 19 and
sliding piece 18, so as to carry
the holding lever 17, and by thus releasing the stopping lever 12 to arrest
the motion of the spindle 1. The connection of the inner end of the
sliding piece 18 with the holding lever 17 and stopping lever 12 is

page_text: contrived in the manner herein-before described, in order that when the
stopping action has taken place the vibrating dog 23 may not continue to
act on the sliding piece 18 (until the parts are reinstated), this effect
being obtained by a slight additional inward and angular movement of the
sliding piece 18, due to the slot 20 and pin at the inner end, and to its
resting on the stopping lever 12 and descending with it. In Figure 3
the spindle may be supposed to have been stopped either from the failing of
the yarn or from the yarn having become filled; but the parts are repre-
sented as with the stopping action completed, and the finger 22 is there-
fore not in the way of the dog 23. In Figure 1, however, at the right-
hand side the finger 22 is shown in the way of dog 23, because the
yarn 7, although represented as not broken, is not in contact with the
other arm 21 of the finger, being held off it by the outward vibration of
the guide 8. When the vibrating guide 8 moves inwards it allows the
yarn, if unbroken, to come in contact with the finger, and lifts the latter
out of the way of the dog.
A second slightly different modification of our improved arrangements
is shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 upon Sheet 2 of the accompanying
Drawings. Figure 4 being an end elevation, partly in section Figure 5 a
side elevation, and Figure 6 an enlarged sectional elevation, showing one
of the spindles and its accompanying details. In this modification the
spindles are driven by means of discs 4 fast on them, and actuated by
the edges of a series of discs 5 fast on a horizontal shaft 25, which reci-
procates longitudinally to vary the speed of the spindles 1 to suit the
different diameters of the conical surface of the pirn or cop. The recipro-
cating movement of the shaft 25 is produced by a grooved cam 26 on a
suitably driven transverse horizontal shaft 27 at the end of the machine.
The cam 26 acts on a lever 28 connected to a ring held loosely on the
shaft 25 between a collar and a nut, and the reciprocating motion is
arranged not to affect the uniform rotation of the shaft, the bevil wheel 29
on the shaft being formed with an elongated boss running in bearings,
whilst it drives the shaft by a key and feather, being otherwise loose upon
it. Each winding spindle 1 is put out of gear by
which takes its disc 4 out of contact from the driving disc 5 below, and it
is lifted by the action of a counterweighted stopping lever 12 upon a collar
13 formed on it for the purpose. Whilst the winding operation progresses
the weighted end of the stopping lever 12 is held up by the notch of a
vertical holding lever 17, which catches under a tooth on the side of the
being lifted a little,

page_text: stopping lever 12. A hollow conical former 14 is used to form, compress,
and equalise the conical layers of wound yarn, and this former rises in
guides as the winding proceeds until the pirn is filled or the cop com-
pleted, when it acts on the upper end of the holding lever 17 and makes it
release the stopping lever 12. The conical former 14 is cast with flanges
to fit and work in grooves in the guide standards 30, and with a bracket
31 projecting inwards and fitted with one adjustable pin 32 for acting on
the holding lever 17, and with another adjustable pin on which is centred
the vibrating guide finger 9. This guide finger 9 leads the yarn directly
upon the cone, causing it to wind thereon in successive conical layers up
and down the cone alternately, and it is formed with a spur 33, which is
acted upon to cause the vibrations of the finger by a vertical plate 34, this
plate moving backwards and forwards with the well-known traverse move-
ment. When the yarn 7 breaks or fails the lower end of the holding
lever 17 is moved inwards so as to release the stopping lever 12 by a
horizontally sliding picce 18, having a slot at its inner end in which is
entered a pin fixed in the holding lever 17. The inner end of the sliding
piece 18 also rests upon the laterally projecting tooth of the stopping
lever 12, whilst its front end is guided in a slot in a bracket or plate 35
fixed to the bar or rail 36, over which the yarn 7 ordinarily passes on its
way to the pirn 6. The front end of the sliding piece 18 is formed with
an arm 37 projecting partly downwards and then horizontally forwards,
and on an adjustable pin on this arm there is centred a delicately poised
yarn finger or lever 21, 22, bent with its front end 21 projecting upwards
and outwards, and formed with a horizontal arm at its end for the yarn 7
to pass over. The other part 22 of the lever or finger extends inwards,
and has a catch tooth formed on its end, which is designed to engage with
a catch tooth on a rod 38 fixed to the traverse plate or rail 34 behind, and
this traverse catch rod 38 has of course a regularly reciprocating traverse
backwards and forwards. The bent yarn lever 21, 22, has its movements
limited by stops, and is delicately poised, so that when the strain of the
yarn 7 is on it its inner end keeps clear of the traverse catch rod 38; but
the moment the yarn breaks or fails and its strain is removed the bent.
yarn lever 21, 22, tilts slightly, but sufficiently to cause its catch tooth to
engage with the traverse catch rod 38. The consequence of this is that
at the next inward traverse of the catch rod 38 it draws the sliding piece
18 inwards, and so throws off the holding lever 17, and the stopping lever
12 being thereby released lifts the spindle out of gear. The inner end

page_text: or the siding piece 18 descends with the weighted side of the stopping
lever 12, its slot, which is inclined to ease this movement, sliding on the
pin of the holding lever 17, and this moves the bend yarn lever 21, 22,
clear of the traverse catch rod 38, so that this rod does not again act until
the parts are reinstated. On the yarn being replaced or renewed the parts
are all put in their proper positions, and the spindle 1 is restarted by
simply depressing the front end of the stopping lever 12.
In a third modification, which is in some respects preferable to the
second, and of which an enlarged sectional view is shown in Figure 7 on
Sheet 3 of the Drawings, the spindles 1 are arranged and driven as in the
second modification; but the slidin piece 18 of the stopping details
carries a yarn finger or lever 21, 22, arranged and acting as in the first
modification, being acted upon by a vibrating dog 23 on the rail or hori-
zontal spindle 36 in front, the spindle 36 being made to rock by means of
a lever 39 and link 40 connecting it to the traverse rail or plate 34, or to
any other suitably moving part of the apparatus.
In the various modifications herein-before described the stopping action
can take place only when the traverse rail or plate 34 or vibrating guide 8
moves inwards. If it is wished, however, to provide more frequent oppor-
tunities for the stoppage to take place, this may be done by causing the
catch rod 38 or the dog 23 to reciprocate or vibrate more frequently.
Thus in Figure 8 the spindle 36, on which the dogs 23 are fixed, is made
to rock twice for every forward and backward traverse of the rail or plate
34 by introducing an intermediate bell-crank lever 41 and link 42 between
the lever 39 and link 40, the action of which will be clearly understood
from the Figure. When such more frequent movement of the dog 23 or
catch 38 is combined with the arrangements of the modification first
herein-before described, the yarn or thread 7 must be guided so as not to
be lifted away from the yarn finger or lever 21, 22, by the vibrating
guide 8.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we have to state that we do not
restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described and delineated,
but that what we believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Inven-
tion secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the constructing and arranging or combining together of the parts of
winding apparatus, so that a positive and continually acting movement of
the machine is made to operate on the stopping details of any spindle

page_text: when the yarn or thread breaks or fails by means of a yarn finger or lever
arranged to engage the parts, but prevented from doing so by the yarn or
thread when present or unbroken, substantially in the manner herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Matthew Andrew Muir and James
Mollwham, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth
day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-six.