IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Oldfield, of the firm of Oddy and Oldfield,
of the Adelphi Iron Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES FOR
D
Sealed the 29th September 1857, and dated the 17th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Oldfield at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th April 1857.
I, EDWARD OLDFIELD, of the firm of Oddy and Oldfield, of the Adelphi
Iron Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING
MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING" (partly a communication from abroad), to
be as follows:-
This Invention consists in moving the friction bowl towards the iron contact
pulley instead of moving the contact pulley towards the friction bowl, as now
customary; also in an improved mode of constructing the friction bowl, for
the purpose of facilitating repairs. The leather or other material forming the
surface of the friction bowl is fixed on the boss of the driving wheel by means
of a screw nut or washer.
This Invention consists also in the application of a friction box instead of
a clutch box to the taking-up wheels, and in shortening 'the backing-off chain
by an elbow lever acted upon by the copping motion, and by a ratchet wheel
and tumbler acted upon at every stretch of the carriage.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Oldfield in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
OLDFIELD, of the firm of Oddy and Oldfield, of the Adelphi Iron Works,
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edward Oldfield, Her special licence that I, the said Edward
Oldfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Edward Oldfield, 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 Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING" (partly a communi-
cation from a foreigner residing abroad), upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Edward Oldfield, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, tho said Edward Oldfield, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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 (that is to say) :-
The nature of the said Invention consists, first, in moving the friction bowl
of self-acting mules for spinning and doubling towards the iron contact pulley
on the cam shaft, thereby allowing the cam shaft to revolve in fixed bearings
instead of moveable bearings, as hitherto customary.
Secondly, in an improved mode of constructing the friction bowl that works
the contact pulley.
And, thirdly, in certain improved modes of shortening the backing-off
chain.
In order that this Invention-may be fully understood, and readily carried

page_text: into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me, reference
being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon:-
Figure 1 is an elevation of part of the head stock of a self-acting mule to
which my improvements are applied, and Figure 2 is a plan thereof. a is
the driving shaft; b, the cam shaft, revolving in fixed bearings attached to
the framing c; d is the iron contact pulley, fixed to the cam shaft b, and e is
the friction bowl, the peculiar construction of which is seen best in Figure 2.
The leather or other material forming the friction bowl is put upon the boss
of the wheel f, the extremity of which boss is screwed. The leather or other
material of which the friction bowl is made is secured on the boss of the
wheel by the screw nut or washer g. By this means when a friction bowl
is worn out it can easily be taken off and repaired, or another put on in its
place. The wheel f fits on the spindle 9', and is screwed to it by a set screw,
and the spindle g¹ revolves in the moveable bearing h. This bearing is attached
to the framing c by two bolts i, see Figure 2, and the set screw j passes
through a projection of the bearing h. The wheel ƒ may either be turned
round by the wheel a', fixed to the loose pulley on the driving shaft a, as
shown in Figure 1, or it may be driven by a carrier pinion, as now customary.
The advantages resulting from thus enabling the cam shaft to revolve in
stationary bearings are, that the catches, stops, and levers acting in combination
with the cam shaft do not require to be adjusted when once set, and the
friction bowl is not so liable to be injured by the corners of the hollows of
the iron contact pulley d rubbing against its surface. The relative position
of the friction bowl and the contact pulley can be adjusted by the set screw j.
Figure 3 represents an elevation of the improved mode of shortening the
backing-off chain. k is the carriage square; 1, the horizontal shaft; m, the
fuller shaft; n, the counter-faller shaft, and o the backing-off chain. One
end of this chain is connected in the usual manner to the lever m', on the
faller shaft m, and the other end is secured to the nut r. The chain o passes
around the backing-off eccentrix P, and is attached to it by the bolt F. The
nut r slides in a slot in the bracket s, and it fits on the screw t, which is
furnished with a ratchet wheel t', acted upon at every stretch of the carriage
by a click, which is not shewn in the Drawing. The mode of operation is
as follows:-The Drawing represents the various parts in the positions they
occupy on commencing a set of cops, that is to say, when the greatest amount
of backing-off chain is let off. During the working of the machine the nut
ris gradually moved in the direction of the arrow by the click before mentioned
acting on the ratchet wheel t, thereby shortening the backing-off' chain, and

page_text: drawing the faller lever m¹ down to shorten the backing-off chain, and to
reduce the amount of backing off in the spindles according to the increasing
size of the cops.
Figure 4 represents a modification of the improved mode of shortening the
backing-off chain. This modification is shewn as applied to one of the copping
motions, for which Letters Patent were granted to me on the 15th February
1856. In this view the parts marked k, l, m, m', n, and o are similar to those
shown in Figure 3. p is part of the copping rail; q, part of the lever for
the antifriction bowl bearing on the copping rail, as described in the Specifica-
tion of the Letters Patent above referred to. Near the end of the lever q
is a stud taking into a slot in the short arm of the elbow lever u, to the
longer arm of which is connected the end of the backing-off chain o. In this
instance, as the end of the lever q gradually drops, during the formation of
the cops, the elbow lever is gradually moved into the position shewn by the
dotted line, thereby shortening the backing-off chain in the required proportion.
I wish to remark that the elbow lever u may be applied to other copping
motions now in use to shorten the backing-off chain.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not limit myself
to the details herein set forth; but that what I do claim is,―
First, causing the cam shaft of self-acting mules for spinning and doubling
to revolve in stationary bearings, and moving the friction bowl towards tho
contact pulley when required, instead of moving the cam shaft towards the
friction bowl as heretofore.
Secondly, the improved mode of constructing friction bowls for the contact
pulleys of self-acting mules for spinning and doubling, as shewn and described.
And, lastly, the improved modes of shortening the backing-off chain, as
shewn and described in reference to Figures 3 and 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Oldfield, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
EDW OLDFIELD. (L.S.)