IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPOOLING COTTON AND OTHER YARNS AND THREADS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Smith, of Higher Chatham Street, Chorlton-
upon-Medlock, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPOOLING COTTON AND OTHER YARNS AND
THREADS."
Sealed the 26th June 1866, and dated the 30th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Smith. at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
December 1865.
I, ROBERT SMITH, of Higher Chatham Street, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, in
the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPOOLING COTTON AND OTHER YARNS AND
THREADS," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to the spooling machines for which Letters
Patent were granted unto Godfrey Ermen and Robert Smith,.dated 31st
May 1862, No. 1689, and consist in an improved method. of giving the to-and-
fro motion of the traversing bar upon which the guide holders are placed.
Instead of the right and left handed screws hitherto used for this purpose I
use a screw with its threads cut all in one direction, and drive it in alternate

page_text: directions by means of a pair of wheels to which motion is imparted by a
pinion placed between them, the wheels being thrown alternately in gear with
the pinion by the following means:-I have fastened upon the reverse shaft a
disc, with its circumference formed of inclined planes leaning alternately in
opposite directions, the number being proportionate to the number of pro-
jections or teeth in the star or escapement wheel on the same shaft; the
inclined planes move easily in a slot in the end of a lever which oscillates on
a fixed centre; when the movement of the reverse shaft takes place at the end
of each layer of thread on the spool the inclined planes move the said slotted
lever on its centre, and the opposite extremity of the said lever moves one of
the wheels out of and the other in gear with the driving pinion, and thus
reverses the direction of rotation of the traverse screw. The to-and-fro motion
is imparted to the traversing bar by means of a split nut which embraces the
traverse screw and is attached to the traversing part of the machine. As
the halves of the split nut wear they can be brought closer together by means
of screws or bolts.
The direction of motion of the traversing bar may also be reversed in the
following maner :-I connect with it and the escapement slide a rod or rods
having a small lever on the end or ends, this lever or levers rest upon and is
or are pressed against the spool on the opposite side to the steel guides which
distribute the threads, and when the guide is approaching the end of each
layer of thread the lever or levers come in contact with the head of the spool
and it or they is or are stopped; the star or escapement wheel is still carried
forward by the traversing part of the machine, and moves past the end of the
stud or screwed projection it rests upon, when being released the reverse
shaft makes the portion of a revolution required to give the reverse motion to
the wheels on the traverse screw. Also I construct the holders carrying the
thread guides so as to slide in suitable grooves.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
SMITH, of Higher Chatham Street, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, in the County
of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 8
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord

page_text: .
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Smith, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Smith, my
_executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Smith, my 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 the Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR SPOOLING COTTON AND OTHER YARNS AND THREADS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said 'Robert Smith, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said Robert Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
These improvements relate to the spooling and balling machines for which
Letters Patent were granted unto Godfrey Ermen and Robert Smith, dated
31st May 1862, No. 1639, and consist in an improved method of giving the
to-and-fro motion in spooling machines of the traversing bar upon which the
thread guide holders are placed. Instead of the right and left handed screws
hitherto used for this purpose I use a screw with its threads cut all in one
direction, and drive it in alternate directions by means of a pair of wheels, to
which motion is imparted by a pinion placed between them, the wheels being
thrown alternately in gear with the pinion by the following means :- I have
fastened upon the reverse shaft a disc, with its circumference formed of
inclined planes leaning alternately in opposite directions, the number being
proportionate to the number of projections or teeth in the star or escapenient
wheel on the same shaft. The inclined planes move easily in a slot in the
end of a lever which oscillates on a fixed centre. When the movement of the
reverse shaft takes place at the end of each layer of thread on the spool the
inclined planes move the said slotted lever on its centre, and the opposite
extremity of the said lever moves one of the wheels out of and the other in
gear with the driving pinion, and thus reverses the direction of rotation of the
traverse screw. The to-and-fro motion is imparted to the traversing bar by

page_text: means of a split nut which embraces the traverse screw and is attached to
the traversing part of the machine. As the halves of the split nut-wear they
can be brought closer together by means of screws or bolts.
The direction of motion of the traversing bar is reversed at variable
intervals to suit the shape of the spool in the following manner :-I connect
with it and the escapement slide a rod or rods having a small lever on the
end or ends, this lever or levers rest or rests upon and is or are pressed
against the spool on the opposite side to the steel guides which distribute the
threads, and when the guide is approaching the end of each layer of thread
the lever or. levers come in contact with the head of the spool and it or
they are stopped; the star or escapement wheel is still carried forward by
the traversing part of the machine until it passes the end of the stud or
screwed projection it rests upon, when being released the reverse shaft makes
the portion of a revolution required to give the reverse motion to the wheels
on the traverse screw. Also I construct the holders carrying the thread
guides so as to slide in suitable grooves made. in the traversing bar instead
of the medial

page_text: front of the same; S is the split nut fixed to Q, and is made to move to and fro
by reversing the direction of motion of screw E; V, V, V, are rods which control;
the reversing of the direction of motion of traversing frame; one is applied to
each spool in the machine, the one V is attached to the escapement slide X;
the ends Vs of these rods rest against the spools opposite to the thread
guides R. The check nuts r and s prevent the rods V, V, V, passing over
the ends of the bobbins or spools. The action is as follows:-When the tra-
versing frame Q is carried forward in the direction of the arrow the pin K
clears the escapement wheel J, which makes part of a revolution until arrested
by the other pin L, the rotation of escapement wheel being caused by a
descending weight attached to a tape or cord wound round the shaft T which
carries the escapement wheel, as described in Ermen and Smith's Specifi-
cation herein-before recited. The amount of rotation of J is just the length
of one of the inclined planes on cam wheel H, as from a to b. This move-
ment, by means of lever N, throws the wheel D out of and the wheel C in
gear, thus reversing direction of rotation of screw E, and consequently of
traversing frame Q. As the thread accumulates upon the spool the length of
traverse of frame Q must be proportionately increased; this is effected by
means of the rods V, V, V, which are carried by traversing frame Q, and
have ends Vs pressing against the spools; as the ends V³ come in contact with
the side of the spool at the end of each layer of thread the traverse of the
bars or rods V, V1, V2, is arrested, but the frame Q still continues to trave!
until the escapement wheel is clear of one of the pins K or L, when it rotates
and gives the reverse motion, as herein-before described.
Figs. 2 and 8 are plan and elevation of slide carrying thread guides R.
Z is a frame fixed to traversing frame Q, and has a suitable groove made in
it to receive a slide formed on d; e is a plate which slides on the back of Z,
and is screwed to d by the set screws g. 9. The thread guide is made to press
against the bobbin or spool by means of the weight h, which is attached to it
by a cord passing over pulley k fixed to Z.
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode of
carrying it into practical effect, what I claim as novel and of my Invention
is,―
Firstly, the application of a screw with its threads cut all in one direction,
and driven in alternate directions by suitable gearing, for the purposes berein-
before described.
Secondly, the mode of effecting the variable length of traverse by means of
the rods V, V, V, for the purposes herein-before described.

page_text: Thirdly, the application of the sliding thread guide holder herein-before
described instead of the radial arm generally used.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
ROBERT SMITH. (L.S.)
Witness,
JOSEPH WILLCOOK.