IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING, SLUBBING, AND ROVING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Sumner, of Preston, in the County of
Lancaster, Spindle Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING, SLUBBING, AND ROVING FIBROUS
MATERIALS."
Sealed the 3rd July 1857, and dated the 4th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Sumner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
April 1857.
I, WILLIAM SUMNER, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Spindle
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING, SLUBBING, AND ROVING
FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to various mechanical arrangements connected with
what is technically known by manufacturers as the "flyer," or apparatus used
for twisting and winding on of fibrous materials in the shape of slivers, slub-
bings, or rovings.
Under one modification of the improved apparatus, as it relates to single
centrifugal presser flyers, the presser lever which conducts the slubbing or
roving from the flyer tube to the spool or bobbin is attached to the lower end
of a vertical connecting rod, supported in top and bottom collar bearings,
carried by the flyer tube, the upper end of this rod being connected to a
short weighted lever arm, the centrifugal action of which during rotation
gives the required pressure to the slubbing or roving, being laid on to the
bobbin by it. The upper collar of the connecting rod has a projection upon

page_text: it, for preventing the presser from moving too far from the spindle on which
the bobbin is placed. The lower collar has also upon it a boss or projection,
which when fixed to the flyer leg is placed lower than the flyer tube. This
projection is for the purpose of keeping the presser from rising too near the
flyer tube. The centrifugally acting weight has a slot in it, commencing a little
above the centre thereof, and extending nearly to the bottom in depth. The
weight is drilled through from the top down to this slot, and the lever being
bent to the proper shape, the weight is fixed upon the lever, and the parts are
connected by rivetting. The advantage secured by the weight being suspended
from the lever at the centre is, that should the weight from any cause get
removed from its perpendicular position, a counterpoise power will always be
found at one end to add to that part of the weight which has suffered a decrease
of power through derangement, thus equalising its power and properties of
balance whatever may be its position.
According to another modification of the improved apparatus, the projections
upon the collars carried by the flyer tube may be dispensed with. The bottom
collar is in this instance fixed at a short distance above the flyer end. Below
the connecting rod and bottom collar the wire is carried round the inside of
the flyer tube to the position of the presser. When the bobbin is a little
above full, this wire comes in contact with the flyer tube, the flyer tube serving
as a stop for the presser, to prevent it from flying off too far from the spindle.
Under another form, the parts generally are arranged in the manner pre-
viously described, but above the upper collar the wire is carried round the in-
side of the flyer tube to the opposite side of the flyer tube to the connecting rod,
thus forming a short transverse lever. From this lever part the lever proceeds
downwards along the flyer tube and acts itself as the weight, the foot of which
is entered into a slot in the flyer tube. This slot humours the power of the
weight, and prevents the foot of it from expanding from its position when at
work, and when the pressure is at a little above "full bobbin" the foot of the
weight comes in contact with the end of the slot, and thus prevents the presser
from flying too far from the spindle.
In another form, the parts being generally the same as herein-before
described, the wire above the upper collar is carried outwards to produce a
short transverse or lateral lever, and it is then directed down alongside the
flyer tube to the foot of the bottom collar bearer. This wire acts as the weight
to overcome the power of the presser. A slot is formed in the bottom collar,
and when the foot of the weight comes in contact with the end of the slot it
prevents the presser from flying too far from the spindle.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Sumner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SUMNER, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Spindle Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth 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 William Sumner, Her special license that I, the said William Sumner, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Sumner, my executors, administrators, or 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 MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR PREPARING, SLUBBING, AND ROVING FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Sumner, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 William Sumner, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to various mechanical arrangements connected
with what is technically known by manufacturers as the "flyer," or apparatus
used for twisting and winding on of fibrous materials in the shape of slivers,
slubbings, or rovings.
Under one modification of the improved apparatus, as it relates to single
centrifugal presser flyers, the presser lever which conducts the slubbing or
roving from the flyer tube to the spool or bobbin is attached to the lower
end of a vertical connecting rod, supported in top and bottom collar bearings,
carried by the flyer tube, the upper end of this rod being connected to a

page_text: short weighted lever arm, the centrifugal action of which during rotation
gives the required pressure to the slubbing or roving, being laid on to the
bobbin by it. The upper collar of the connecting rod has a projection upon
it, for preventing the presser from moving too far from the spindle on which
the bobbin is placed. The lower collar has also upon it a boss or projection,
which when fixed to the flyer leg is placed lower than the flyer tube. This
projection is for the purpose of keeping the presser from rising too near the
flyer tube. The centrifugally acting weight has a slot in it, commencing a
little above the centre thereof, and extending nearly to the bottom in depth.
The weight is drilled through from the top down to this slot, and the lever
being bent to the proper shape, the weight is fixed upon the lever, and the
parts are connected by riveting. The advantage secured by the weight being
suspended from the lever at the centre is, that should the weight from any
cause get removed from its perpendicular position, a counterpoise power will
always be found at one end to add to that part of the weight which has
suffered a decrease of power through derangement, thus equalising its power
and properties of balance whatever may be its position.
According to another modification of the improved apparatus, the projections
upon the collars carried by the flyer tube may be dispensed with. The bottom.
collar is in this instance fixed at a short distance above the flyer end. Below
the connecting rod and bottom collar the wire is carried round the inside of
the flyer tube to the position of the presser. When the bobbin is a little
above full, this wire comes in contact with the flyer tube, the flyer tube
serving as a stop for the presser, to prevent it from flying off too far from the
spindle.
Under another form, the parts generally are arranged in the manner pre-
viously described, but above the upper collar the wire is carried round the
inside of the flyer tube to the opposite side of the flyer tube to the connecting
rod, thus forming a short transverse lever. From this lever part the wire.
proceeds downwards along the flyer tube and acts itself as the weight, the foot
of which is entered into a slot in the flyer tube. This slot humours the power
expanding from its position
of the weight, and prevents the foot of it from
when at work, and when the presser is at a little above "full bobbin" the
foot of the weight comes in contact with the end of the slot, and thus prevents.
the presser from flying too far from the spindle.
In another form, the parts being generally the same as herein-before
described, the wire above the upper collar is carried outwards to produce a
short transverse or lateral lever, and it is then directed down alongside the flyer
tube to the foot of the bottom collar bearer. This wire acts as the weight to.

page_text: overcome the power of the presser. A slot is formed in the bottom collar, and
when the foot of the weight comes in contact with the end of the slot it
prevents the presser from flying too far from the spindle.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several illustrative Figures on the explanatory
Sheet of Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of show-
ing certain modifications under which my improvements may be judiciously.
carried out in practice.
Figure 1 on my Sheet of Drawings is an elevation of a roving frame flyer
arranged according to one modification of my improvements; Figure 2 is a
side view of the flyer, or an elevation, taken at right angles to Figure 1; and.
Figure 3 is a plan corresponding. The flyer A is of the ordinary kind; the
presser arm B which carries the roving from the tubular leg of the flyer to
the spool or bobbin, is attached to a vertical connecting rod C. The upper-
end of the connecting rod is bent at right angles, and again upwards, forming
a short lever D. The connecting rod C is carried in top and bottom collar
bearings E, which are soldered or otherwise suitably attached to the tubular.
leg of the flyer. Upon the upper extremity of the connecting rod C is fitted
a weight F, which has a longitudinal slot or aperture made in it. This slot or
aperture G commences a little above the centre of the weight and extends
downwards nearly to the bottom, an aperture is likewise made in a vertical
direction through the centre of the weight from the top down to the slot.
The upper extremity of the connecting rod C is passed through the vertical
aperture in the weight, and the two are riveted or otherwise firmly fastened
together. The upper collar bearing E has a small projection H cast or other-
wise made thereon; this projection serves the purpose of preventing the
presser from moving too far away from the spindle. As the roving is wound
upon the spool or bobbin, the presser is moved outwards by the increasing
diameter of the spool until the weight comes in contact with the stop or
projection H, which prevents any further outward movement. The bottom
collar E is in this modification of my improvements made so that a portion
of the collar forms a boss or projection I, which extends a short distance
below the tubular leg of the flyer. This projecting part of the collar
forms a stop, which prevents the presser from rising too near the leg
of the flyer. A modification of the flyer herein-before described is shown
in elevation in Figure 4 of my Sheet of Drawings. Figure 5 is a side
view, and Figure 7 a plan, corresponding to Figure 4. The finger or
presser B is attached to the lower end of the connecting rod C, the upper part
of which is bent outwards to form a short lever arm D. The connecting rod

page_text: is carried in the collar bearings E, and to its upper end is fitted a weight F.
In this modification there is no stop or projection on the upper coller E
required, as the tubular leg itself forms a stop for the presser to act against.
The lower collar E is soldered or otherwise fastened to the tubular leg of the
flyer a short distance above the extremity thereof, and has no projecting part
formed upon it, as in the arrangement first herein described. The lower part
of the presser wire or connecting rod C, to the extremity of which the presser B
is attached, is carried round the inside of the flyer tube, and by this means
the tube itself is made to act as a stop; for when the presser is moved out-
wards a certain predetermined distance, the presser wire or conecting rod C
comes into contact with the inner part of the tubular leg, and thereby stops
the outward movement of the presser.
In the modification of my improvements, shown in elevation Figure 7, in
side view Figure 8, and in plan Figure 9, the connecting rod or presser wire
forms the weight itself. In this arrangement the presser B is attached
to the lower extremity of the connecting rod or presser wire C, which is
carried in top and bottom collar bearings E on the side of the tubular leg
opposite to the side on which they are fixed in Figures 1 to 6. The con-
necting rod C extends upwards to near the shoulder of the tubular leg
and just above the top collar bearing; from this point the wire which
forms the connecting rod is bent round the inside of the flyer leg, the bent
part forming a short transverse lever D; the wire is then bent downwards,
forming another free leg F, which is nearly parallel to the tubular leg, and
terminates within a short distance of the extremity of the tubular leg. The
connecting rod is supported in the collar bearings E, which are soldered or
otherwise attached to the tubular flyer leg. The bottom collar bearing E is
made to extend inside the tubular leg to admit of a slot J being made therein.
The lower extremity of the leg F of the connecting rod C traverses in this
slot, which serves as a guide for the end of the rod, and as a stop to prevent
its extending beyond a certain predetermined distance. The lower extremity
of the connecting rod, although retained to a certain extent by the segmentally
shaped slot J, is yet free to traverse to and fro therein. This arrangement
of the parts gives a self-adjusting power to the weight, which is of great
advantage in working with these flyers. As the bobbin is filled by the slubbing
or roving laid thereon, the presser is moved gradually outwards, and the free
end of the connecting rod or weight gradually moves in the segmentally-
shaped slot from the outer side of the tubular leg of the flyer to its inner side,
where it is stopped by the extremity of the slot; the length of the slot con-
sequently determines the outward traverse or expanding action of the presser.

page_text: Figures 10, 11, and 12, which comprehend an elevation, side view, and
plan of an arrangement of flyer somewhat modified from the modification
just described. In this arrangement the bottom collar bearing and the part
forming the guide are dispensed with, the lower end of the connecting rod
being bent round the inside of the tubular leg of the flyer, and is there attached
to the presser. By means of these improvements in the arrangement and
construction of flyers a firm, uniform, and powerful pressure upon the slubbing
or roving is obtained; also increased facility for working the spindles and
flyers at high velocities under great pressure, owing to the equilibrium or
counterbalance arrangement of the presser.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for preparing, slubbing, and roving fibrous materials, as herein-before described.
Second the use and application of a weight or counterbalance fitted to the
connecting rod or presser wire of flyers, the said weight or counterbalance
being suspended upon its centre, so that although the weight may be loosened
or otherwise deranged it still preserves the equilibrium or balanced pressure
of the presser upon the roving, as herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of arranging and constructing flyers, in which the
connecting rod or presser wire is made with a secondary leg, which forms the
weight or counterbalance, and works close to the flyer leg, but upon the side
of the tubular leg opposite to that on which the presser acts.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Sumner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-seven.
WILLIAM SUMNER. (L.S.)