CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING, DOUBLING, AND WEAVING COTTON, FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1850

page_text: t
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN PLATT,
of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of December, in the fourteenth year of Her
reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty, did,
for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Platt, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege, and authority, that I,
the said John Platt, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said John Platt, my exors, admors, 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 and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPINNING, DOUBLING,
AND WEAVING COTTON, FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Platt, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and 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, I, the said
John Platt, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following explana-
tion thereof, that is to say:-
My improvements in machinery or apparatus for spinning, doubling, and
weaving cotton, flax, and other fibrous substances, relate, in the first place, to
certain well-known spinning machinery, called "mules," formerly the subject
matter of Letters Patent granted to Richard Roberts, of Manchester, now
commonly called or known by the name of "self-actors," and are designed to
simplify and improve such machinery, and render the same much more generally
useful and applicable to the purposes of spinning than they have hitherto been.
Another improvement, which is applicable to "mules" in general, relates to the
method of applying a clearing or "scavenging" roller to the front of the roller
beam and to the top of the spindle carriage.
Secondly, my Invention relates to certain improvements in, or additions to,
the said "self-acting" imnules, whereby such machines are made available for
the purposes of "doubling" or "twining" yarn or threads, part of which im-
provements are also applicable to hand "twiners or doubling machines.
Thirdly, my improvements apply to power looms for weaving, and relate
principally to the "taking-up" motion for winding the cloth on to the cloth beam
as it is woven. In order more clearly to illustrate, my Invention, and more
minutely to describe the practical application of the same, I have attached to
these Presents two Sheets of Drawings representing my several improvements,
and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following description thereof. The several Figures, with the
exception of those having reference to looms for weaving, are drawn to a scale
of about one inch and a half to a foot. The first improvement in the "self-
actor" applies to the motion called "drawing out," and is exhibited in Sheet 1
of the Drawings; Fig. 1 being a plan view of part of the headstock of a
"self-actor," with my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an end or front
view; and Fig. 3, a side elevation of the same. a, a, is the framing of the
headstock; on the front spindle or front roller coupling shaft b, a spur pinion c is
keyed, which by means of a carrier wheel & drives the spur wheels e and f, (the
wheelf being keyed on to the boss of the wheel e.) The spur wheel drives the
catch box wheel g on the back or drawing-out shafth; i is a double-flanched toothed
wheel, keyed upon the drawing-out shaft h; and k is a similar wheel, keyed
upon the quadrant pinion shaft l. Around these two pullies a chain m passes,
and thus actuates the carriage, both ends of the said chain being attached to
the same; thus it will be evident that the front spindle b drives the drawing-

page_text: out shaft h (when the catch box g' is in gear) by the train of spur
wheels above.
mentioned, and the shaft h, by means of the chain m, actuates the carriage and
the quadrant pinion. The arrangement for throwing the sliding catch box g¹
into and out of gear, and for "jacking" or taking out the "slack" and preventing
"snarls," is as follows:-n is a sliding bar extending across the headstock, and to
which is attached a forked lever o, for sliding the catch box g' into and out of
gear; (see Figs. 2 and 3) is a worm on the side shaft q, for driving the
front rollers; this worm p drives a worm wheel r, to which one-half of a catch
box is attached, being the sliding or moveable part of the said catch box;
s is a forked lever for moving the sliding catch box 1, and is worked by a
camt upon the ordinary cam shaft u; is also a forked lever connected to the
sliding barn, and working the front roller sliding catch box v; w is a forked
bell-crank lever for working the sliding catch box r¹ on the back or drawing
out shaft; this bell crank lever w is connected to another sliding rod a (which
slides parallel with the sides of the headstock), at the other end of which is a
lever y, which is furnished with a notch or slot and a hinged catch z.. The
operation of the above arrangement of mechanism is as follows:-Suppose the
catch box g¹ on the back or drawing out shaft h to be in gear, then the front
rollers will be revolving and giving out yarn whilst the carriage is going out,
and keeping the yarn at the proper tension, and the spindles revolving and
putting in the twist. When the carriage arrives at the "jacking" point, i. c.
within a short distance of the end of its stretch, it is necessary to stop the
revolution of the rollers whilst the carriage completes its stretch, and takes out
the slack places or "snarls." This is accomplished in the following manner :-
As soon as the carriage has arrived at the "jacking" point (which may be varied
at pleasure), a bowl on the carriage comes in contact with the catch z, and
raises one end of the lever y, thus releasing the pin on the sliding rod a from
the notch in the lever y, and allowing the spring 1 to slide the said rod æ in
the direction of the arrow, which by means of the bell crank lever w, will
slide the bar n in the direction of its arrow, thus throwing the catch boxes v
and g¹ out of gear, and the catch box r into gear. The worm p being thus
engaged with the drawing-out shaft h, draws the carriage out slowly for the
remainder of its stretch until it has arrived at its extreme distance from the
front rollers, and is held by the "holding-out" catch, when the motion of the cam
shaft will cause the levers to take the "jacking" or "after draft" catch
box out of gear. The three catch boxes v, 1, and g¹ remain out of gear until
the carriage arrives at its nearest point to the rollers, when the motion of the
cam shaft slides the front roller catch box and the drawing-out catch box gl

page_text: .
into gear. The method of applying the clearing or scavenging shaft to the
front of the roller beam in "self-actors" is shewn. in Fig. 4, Sheet 1, which
represents a section of a mule carriage. a is the mule carriage'; 6 is the roller
beam; and c the front roller; d is the carriage. board clearing roller mounted
upon a lever e, which has its fulcrum at f; g is a catch, which acts upon the
end of the lever e; and h is a stop upon the carriage for releasing the
catch; i is a lever for raising the roller d; and k is a bowl affixed to the
carriage for working the same; is the roller beam clearer, the ends of which
move in guides, or .slots m. The roller beam clearer is connected. to the
carriage board clearer by the links n, and is caused to revolve by means of a
spur wheel o, being driven from the front roller c by an intermediate. spur
wheel P. The action of this apparatus is as follows:-When the carriage goes
up to the rollers, the stop .h upon the carriage conies into contact with the
lower end of the catch g, and allows the roller d to fall nearly at the foot of
the spindle on to the top of the carriage; the carriage now recedes from the
rollers, and the clearer roller d revolving, clears the carriage top. When the
carriage has run out a certain distance, the bowl k comes into contact with
the lever i, raising the roller d, and lowering the other end of the lever e under
the catch g; of course it will be evident that as the roller beam clearer is
connected to the carriage board clearer d, by means of the link n, when the
roller is lowered, it will cause the roller to travel down the front of the
roller beam in the slots m, and when the roller d is raised it will raise the
roller, and bring the spur wheel o into gear with the intermediate spur
wheel p. Another improvement in "self-actors," which is. applicable solely
to spinning wool, is exhibited in Fig. 3, Sheet 1, in which 2 is the long drawing-
out shaft, and 3 the end of the short drawing-out shaft, upon which is keyed a
bevil wheel 4. Upon the long drawing-out shaft 2 are two bevil pinions 5, 5, in
gear with the bevil wheel 4, and furnished with sliding catch boxes 6 and 7,
which are moved into and out of gear by means of forked levers 8, 8, being
actuated by two cams 9, 9, upon the ordinary cam shaft.
The operation of
this arrangement of mechanism is as follows:-When the carriage goes up to
the rollers upon the first motion of the cam shaft, the catch 6 is thrown into
gear, causing the drawing-out shaft 2 to revolve and draw the carriage out.
When the carriage has arrived at the extent of its stretch, the motion of the
cam shaft throws the .catch box 6 out of gear and the catch box 7 into gear,
causing the drawing-out shaft 2 to revolve in the opposite direction and take
the carriage in, allowing the yarn to contract. in proportion to the amount of
twist required. The next motion of the cam shaft throws the catch box 7 out

page_text: of gear. Both catch boxes being now out of gear, the mule backs off, and the
carriage runs in, as usual.
The second part of my Invention, or that which applies to doubling or
"twining" yarn, by means of the self-acting headstock is exhibited in Sheet 2
of the Drawings; Fig. 1 being a side elevation of a self-acting headstock,
shewing my improvements applied thereto, in order to adapt the same to
twining or doubling yarn. The creel carriage is shewn in. section, and 'the
stationary spindle carriage and other ordinary parts of the apparatus are
removed in order to exhibit the improved parts more distinctly; Fig. 2, in the
same Sheet, is a front or end view of the same: a, a, is the framing of the
headstock, and 6 is the first or main driving shaft, receiving its motion in
the usual manner. On the outer end of this shaft b, is a bevil wheel c, giving
motion to a vertical shaft d, which drives the horizontal shaft f, by means of a
pair of mitre wheels e, e; at the other end of the shaft f is a bevil pinion, giving
motion to a bevil wheel g, upon the tin roller shaft h; i is the tin roller (see
Fig. 2), which drives the spindles by means of bands or cords, as usual.
Upon the vertical shaft d'is a small spur pinion k, giving motion to a spur
wheel 1, keyed upon one end of a stud, at the lower end of which is keyed a
bevil pinion m, driving a bevil wheel n upon the horizontal shaft o. At the
other end of the horizontal shaft o, a change bevil pinion is keyed, engaged with
a bevil wheel q upon the drawing-out shaft r. This shaft r is so arranged that it
can be carried the whole length of the machine, and be connected to the creel
carriage in different parts, or it may be merely carried across the headstock,
and be connected to the said carriage in the centre. The bevil wheel n, on the
horizontal shaft o, has one half of a catch box cast to it; the other half n is
moved in and out of gear by a lever s, attached to the lower end of a rod t,
the said rod t being actuated by the lever i, sliding bar v, and cam w, upon
the ordinary cam shaft a. The winding-on catch box, which is similar to that
employed for the same purpose in the spinning mule, also receives its motion
from the rod t by means of a lever y.
Having thus described the method of driving the tin roller shaft h and
drawing-out shaft r, I will proceed to describe the several changes, and the
apparatus for effecting the same, which is exhibited in Figs. 2 and 3;
Fig. 3 being an elevation of the inner side of the headstock framing;
z is a lever, working upon a fulcrum fixed to the framing, and acted upon by a
spring 1. The lever is connected by a rod 2 to the upper end of a catch
or change lever 3; this lever vibrates upon a fulcrum attached to the framing,
and is furnished at or near its lower end with two steps or notches, which are

page_text: acted upon by a stud at the end of the lever 4. The lever 4 is connected by a
rod 5 to the escape lever 6, which works the changes upon the cam shaft; the
different changes are effected in the following manner-When the creel
carriage arrives at its greatest distance from the spindles, a stud in front
thereof comes in contact with the lever 2, forcing it back, and thus releases
the pin on the lever 4 from the step or catch on the lever 3, and allowing the
spring 5 (see Fig. 2) to raise the lever 4, which thus raises the escape lever
6 to the second or "backing-off" catch. At this stage the spindles are running
in the reverse direction and uncoiling the yarn from the bare spindles, whilst
the "faller" is pulled down by a chain from the tin roller shaft, as usual. The
next change for ." winding on " and "taking in," is effected in the following
manner: On the faller shaft 7 is a bell-crank lever 8, with a weight 9 and
finger 10, (see Fig. 2,) which finger presses on the top of the sector locking
lever. The lower arm of the bell-crank lever 8 is furnished with a stud, which
when the faller is "locked" by a chain in the ordinary manner, comes into contact
with the lower end of the lever 3, and allows the escape lever 6 to rise to the
second change or "taking-in" point, causing the cam shaft a to make another
movement, and engage the "winding-on" and "taking-in" movements; the
creel carriage then runs up to the spindles, unlocking the faller by
means of a finger at the back of the carriage, and a
underneath the same, coming in contact with the inclined part of the
lever 4, depresses it, and with it the escape lever 6, thus allowing the cam
shaft a to make another movement. This last change disengages the " "winding-
on " and "taking-in" catch boxes, and engages the "drawing-out" catch, at the
same time that the spring 1 causes the lever to resume its former position; the
carriage then commences to draw out, whilst the spindles revolve and double or
twine the yarn.
A modification of the above apparatus, which by some
persons may be considered preferable, is shewn in plan view at Fig. 5, side
elevation Fig 6, and front elevation Fig. 7. Upon one end of the horizontal
shaft is a spur pinion j, driving a spur wheel k upon a stud 1, attached to
which is another spur pinion m, driving a spur wheel n upon the end of the
horizontal shaft o, on the other end of which is a bevil pinion p driving a
bevil wheel g, upon the drawing-out shaft r. The bevil wheel has a catch box
cast on it, the sliding half of which is worked by a lever s, which is connected
by means of the vertical rod t to the sliding bar v; over the cam shaft (see Figs.
1 and 2). The winding-on catch box, which is similar to that used in the
spinning mule, also receives its motion by means of a forked lever s, actuated
by the sliding half of the drawing-out catch box. The movements which
friction bowl

page_text: effect the changes in the machine are the same as those previously described
with the above exception, and have similar letters of reference marked upon
corresponding parts of the mechanism in both arrangements. The copping
motion for shaping the "cop" is shewn in Figs. 2 and 4; Fig. 4 being a side
clevation of that part of the apparatus. A frame 11 is attached to the framing
a of the headstock. In this frame 11 a box 12 slides; the box 12 is provided
with two bars, which pass through a groove or slot in the frame 11, and carry a
screw 13; this screw works through a nut 14, which passes through a slot in
the bottom of the box 12, and is attached to an inner box or cop.sharper 15.
The screw 13 has at one end a ratchet wheel 16, which is moved at every
stretch of the carriage, as in the spinning mule; 17 is the copping rail, which
is furnished with two studs 18, working in the slots in the box 12, and resting
on the top of the cop shaper 15; the traverse of the copping rail is effected
in the following manner :-To one side of the 'box 12 a rack 19 is attached,
with which a spur pinion 20 is in gear. The spur pinion 20 is keyed upon a
stud, at the lower end of which is a mitre wheel 21, driven by a mitre wheel
keyed upon the drawing-out shaft r; thence it will be evident that as the motion
of the drawing-out shaft is reversed, that of the pinion 20 will be reversed also,
and thus the copping rail be caused to traverse to and fro. The method of
shortening the "winding-on" as the diameter of the cop incre ses, and of locking
or holding the yarn whilst the creel carriage is going in, are exhibited in Fig. 1.
A is the creel carriage running on the rails B; the radial arm C, with its screw
D, instead of being fixed to the quadrant as usual, is attached to the creel
carriage, and the quadrant dispensed with; in place of which I employ a curved
guide E, in the groove of which a friction roller at the upper end of the arm c
works, which keeps the winding-on chain always at the same tension. Extending
along the whole length of the front of the creel carriage A, is a semicircular
groove F, lined with india-rubber, or having a loose piece of the same, as
represented in the Drawing; G is a rod extending the whole length of the
carriage, which falls into the groove F, whenever it is desired to lock or hold
the yarn. The motion for raising and lowering the rod G is the same as
that usually employed for actuating the ordinary sliding clamp.
The third part of my Invention, or that which relates to looms for weaving,
consists, first, in a novel form of catch for working the taking-up motion; and,
secondly, in an arrangement whereby I am enabled to dispense with the emery
or glass usually applied to the taking-up roller in looms, wherein a positive
taking-up motion is employed. These improvements are shewn in Sheet 1 of
the Drawings, Fig. 5 being an elevation of the side framing of a loom,

page_text: shewing my improved "taking-up catches" applied thereto, and the method of
working them. a is the framing of the loom; 6 is the lathe or slay; and c is
the cloth beam, which is connected by spur gearing to the "taking-up" pulley d,
on the rim of which the taking-up catch e works. The catch fis merely for
holding the pulley, whilst the catch e advances to take a fresh grip. The
method of working the catch e is as follows:-At the lower extremity of the
slay sword b is attached a lever g, which is connected to a lever h by means
of a rod i. The lever h vibrates upon a fulcrum at k, and is connected to the
catch or clipe by the links 7, 1. The speed of the taking-up pulley d is
diminished as the diameter of the cloth beam increases, in the following
manner-m is a rod extending across the loom, and pressed against the sur-
face of the cloth roller. by a spring n. This rod is mounted in one end of a
sliding frame o, the other end of which clips the pin at the upper end of the
rod i, and as the diameter of the cloth beam increases, slides it in the slot in
the lever further from the fulcrum of the said lever, and consequently
shortens the motion of the lever on the other side of the fulcrum. In Sheet 1
of the Drawings, Fig. 6 is a Diagram shewing the arrangement by which I
dispense with the emery or glass upon the taking-up roller in looms, wherein a
positive taking-up motion is employed, propelled by a ratchet wheel and
catches, and whereby I cause the tension of the cloth to cause its adhesion to
the rollers, and propel the cloth beam, by means of a plain roller. The defects
to be obviated by substituting the plain for the emery or glass roller are, first,
that in weaving certain descriptions of cloth, wherein the weft is used in a wet
state, the emery or glass is liable to leave the roller and adhere to the cloth,
cutting and injuring it in the subsequent process of callendering and finishing,
and also that the emery or glass, separating from the roller, renders it necessary
to recover the roller frequently to prevent the cloth from slipping. In Fig. 6,
Sheet 1, a is the cloth roller; b is the taking-up roller; and c is a small
roller mounted in sliding bearings d (one at each end); e is the breast beam
of the loom. The cloth as it is woven passes over the breast beam c, round
the taking-up roller b, over the roller c, to the cloth beam a; hence it is evident
that the tension of the cloth itself will bind the rollers firmly together, prevent-
ing the cloth from slipping, and enabling me to use a taking-up roller without
either emery or glass upon its surface.
Having thus described the nature and object of my several improvements,
together with the method of carrying the same into practical effect, I would
remark, in conclusion, that I claim as my Invention as regards the "self-actor"
for spinning, the method shewn and described, and the apparatus for coupling and

page_text: disengaging the front roller spindle and the drawing-out shaft, and the
method of applying the clearing or scavenging rollers to the roller beam and
carriage top.
As regards the "twiner" or self-acting "doubler " I claim, first, the method
shewn and described of actuating the drawing-out shaft and tin roller
shaft, by means of gearing.
Secondly, the methods of, and apparatus for actuating, the escape lever for
the cam shaft, so as to effect the different changes as required.
Thirdly, the application of the above-described "copping" motion to self-
acting "twiners."
And, fourthly, the apparatus for dispensing with the quadrant, and "locking "
the yarn in front of the creel carriage.
With respect to the self-acting mule, as used for wool, I claim the arrange-
ment of bevil pinions and catch boxes for taking the carriage in a short
distance whilst the twist is being put in, so as to allow of the contraction of
the yarn.
As regards the loom for weaving, I claim, first, the peculiar form of clip for
working the taking-up pulley; and, secondly, the peculiar method shewu
and described, of causing the tension of the cloth to bind it between
the taking-up roller and another roller (by means of the contact of the
rollers a and b), so as to dispense with the use of emery or glass upon such
rollers
In witness whereof, I, the said John Platt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of May. One thousand eight hundred
Enrolled the Thirtieth day of May in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-one.