IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING MACHINERY
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Holmes, William Wainman
Holmes, John Frederick Holmes, John Bentley Lancaster, and David
Lancaster at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Fetition, on the 30th November 1867.
We, THOMAS HOLMES, WILLIAM WAINMAN HOLMES, JOHN FREDERICK
HOLMES, JOHN BENTLEY LANCASTER, and DAVID LANCASTER, all of Baildon, near
Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
The objects of our Invention are to "doff" and afterwards to "fill" with
empty bobbins the spindles of spinning frames by a combination of apparatus
in lieu of the manual system in use. For this purpose, in the first place,
small pinion is placed upon the lower part of each spindle, and behind the
spindles is a shaft provided with worm wheels to gear into each pinion when
required. In conjunction with this part of our Invention is a rod running the
length of the frame, placed under the top board, and provided with a claw
opposite each spindle, the object is that in doffing, whilst the worm wheels are
driving the pinions and thereby the spindles, the claws (having been lowered)
are holding the flyers, which become unscrewed, and then balance weights on
the claw shaft raise the claws and thereby remove the flyers out of the way
until the full bobbins are removed and empty ones put in their places. We may

page_text: here observe that during the process of spinning the worm wheel shaft is not
in gear. After the flyers have been removed we remove or "doff" the full
bobbins simultaneously by means hereafter described, and then put empty
ones simultaneously in their places. To effect this in front of the low rail
of the frame is a shaft provided with pinions which are geared into vertical
racks connected to slotted links. By means of these links a doffing and
filling rod (with a stud at each end) carried by them is caused to rise and fall,
its course being directed by means of guiding "races" partially straight and
partially curved; to such dofling and filling rods are attached double spring
fingers and in the course of the rod's ascent it takes up with it an empty bobbin
in the one finger, and from the shape of the guiding race the other finger is
forced on to and grips the full bobbin, rises bigher, and lifts it off, after this
(by means of a tappet on the "race" plate and a stud upon the end of the
"doffing" and filling rod-on the stud coming in contact with the tappet) the
rod is projected horizontally until the spring finger carries the empty bobbin
over the spindle, then the rod descends the race, placing the empty bobbin on
the spindle, the claw is then lowered, placing the flyers upon the spindles, and
whilst they (the flyers) are being fastened by the reverse motion of the worn
wheels and pinions the end of the thread of the full bobbins winds round the
empty bobbin, the claw is removed, and the doffing and filling rod by another
tappet is projected back to the point it started from, and deposits the full
bobbin on to a creel board from which the empty ones are taken. Suitable
gearing is used for driving the doffing and filling apparatus, and the "end"
between the full and empty is cut by means of a sharp eye plate fastened to
and projecting above the "lifter.". Waste is thereby prevented, and each
side of the frame having its full bobbins removed and empty ones put in their
place consecutively and simultaneously much time is saved.