IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF WORKING SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Knowles, of Bolton, in the County of
:
Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MODE OF WORKING SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING."
Sealed the 15th July 1870, and dated the 5th February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Knowles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th February 1870.
.I, JOHN KNOWLES, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton
Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF WORKING SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND
DOUBLING," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to connect the carriages of adjacent
self-acting mules in such wise that one of the carriages is running in
while the other is going out, so that the operatives may be better able.
to attend to the piecing up of the broken ends or other purposes.
-In-performing my Invention I connect the starting rod of one mule to
the movement of the carriage of the other mule, and vice versa, whereby
when one carriage arrives at the roller-beam before its proper time the

page_text: other mule prevents the driving strap going on to the pulley for taking
the carriage out. The mechanism for effecting this object may be
considerably varied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Knowles in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KNOWLES, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Knowles, Her special licence that I,
the said John Knowles, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Knowles, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF
WORKING SELF-ACTING MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said John Knowles, my exccutors
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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Knowles, do hereby declare 3
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say) :-
The object of my Invention is to connect the machinery for driving
the carriages of a pair or two adjacent self-acting mules in such wise that

page_text: one of the carriages can only commence its outward run when the other
in going out has arrived at that distance from the roller beam beyond
which it is no longer convenient to piece up, so that the attendants may
be better able to attend to the piecing up of a pair of self-acting mules.
And in order that my Invention may be readily carried into operation,
I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in
which I have shown a convenient mode of effecting the desired object,
but I wish to remark here that the machinery may be considerably
modified.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a pair of self-acting mules to which my
improvements are applied; Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 an end view of
the same.
a, a¹, are the side frames of the mules; b, b³, the carriages; c, c³, the
driving or rim shafts supporting the pulleys d, d³, and the worms c, c²,
for driving the twist shafts f. f'; g, g³, are the strap fork levers;
h, h', are the drawing rollers, and i, the main driving shaft. The parts
enumerated above and all the others requisite to complete the mules are
made in the usual manner.
In this mode of carrying my Invention into operation I apply to each
of the strap forked levers g, g¹, a catch piece j, j¹, shewn best in Fig. 3,
and these catch pieces are alternately held and released by the levers k, k³,
which are hinged to pillars supported by the framing of the headstocks.
To cach of the twist shafts f, f¹, is fixed a disc marked 1, 1ª, and the
disc on one headstock is connected to the lever ¹ of the other head-
stock in the following manner:-The lower end of the chain or cord m
is connected to a stud projecting from the disc 7, and the upper end
thereof is attached to the lever m² fixed to the shaft n; to this shaft is
also fixed the lever n', to which the chain or cord is connected, and
this chain or cord after passing over the guide pulley p' is connected to
the lever ; by this means as the twist shaft f revolves it raises and
lowers the lever k³, and the disc l¹ is connected in a similar manner to
the lever k.
The mode of operation is as follows, and the Drawing shews the parts
in the positions they occupy when the carriage 6 of the left hand head-
stock is about three-quarters out, while the carriage b' of the right hand
Ireadstock is close to the roller beam:-When the carriage 6 is running
out to about the extent shown the attendants can conveniently picce up
the broken ends of the said carriage, and during this portion of the

page_text: running out of the said carriage the lever ¹ is in a horizontal position,
as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the projection of the lever ⁄¹ is
then holding the catch piece j¹ of the strap fork lever g', thereby holding
the driving strap on the loose pulley of the shaft d', but as soon as the
disc on the twist shaft f in revolving tightens the cord or chain m the
lever is raised into the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1, thereby
releasing the catch piece j¹, and allowing the strap fork lever g' to be
moved so as to bring the driving strap on to the pulley by which the
outward motion is given to the carriage b', which then commences its
outward run. The attendants can now picce up the broken ends of the
carriage b¹, and when this carriage has performed about three-fourths of
its outward run the disc raises the lever to allow the carriage b
which at this time is close to the drawing rollers to commence its
outward run.
:
but
The foregoing description and the plan sufficiently illustrate the
nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the same,
I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the
machinery described for carrying my Invention into operation, as it may
be considerably varied, either by connecting tlic starting rods of the two
mules or by other means.
:
I claim the improved mode of working a pair or two adjacent self-
acting mules, whereby the carriage of one of the said mules can only
commence its outward run when the carriage of the other of the said
mules has performed about three-fourths or other definite portion of its
outward run, for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Knowles, have hereto set my
hand and scal, this Third day of August One thousand cight
hundred and seventy.