CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John McVitie, of Preston, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MULES FOR SPINNING"
Sealed the 11th January 1867, and dated the 18th July 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John M Vitie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th July 1866.
I, JOHN MCVITIE, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN MULES FOR SPINNING," to be as follows-
My Invention relates to that part of "mules" called the "headstock" and
consists in a peculiar arrangement and combination of mechanism to be
applied to or connected with the "cam shaft" of mules so as to impart a
positive motion to such shaft during its operation upon the mechanism with
which it is connected, by which adaptation considerably less driving power is
required than at present.

page_text: The improvements consist in the employment and use of a coiled spring,
one end of which is secured to a ratchet or spur wheel revolving loosely
on the cam shaft, the other end being secured to a boss fixed to the same
shaft, motion is given to the ratchet wheel for winding up the spring during
the run in of the carnage by a pawl secured to a lever actuated by an
eccentric from a shaft conveniently situated, and the said ratchet wheel is
provided with a loose "lip" which is caused to cover two or more teeth,
thus when the ratchet wheel has made one revolution and wound up the
spring the pawl actuating the same falls upon the aforesaid "lip" and so
ceases to act upon the spring, the ratchet wheel being retained in position
by a catch, and when the change is required and the "cam shaft" is released
the tension of the spring gives the necessary reverse motion to the cam shaft
without the use of friction pulleys, spaced wheels, catch boxes, and similar
contrivances as now employed for the purpose, and the spring being formed of
several coils gives an easy regulai motion to the cam shaft when reversing.
When this reverse action is completed the lip covering one or two of the
teeth of the ratchet wheel is raised by a stud on the cam shaft or other
contrivance, thereby allowing the pawl of the aforesaid lever to fall again into
the spaces. of the ratchet wheel, and thereby effects the winding up of the
spring, the loose "lip" again falling into its place so soon as a few teeth
have been taken up. If a reduced speed be required the aforesaid arrange-
ment of spring and ratchet may be worked on a separate shaft which is
supplied with a pinion that gears into a wheel on the cam shaft through
which motion is imparted to the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John McVitie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
January 1867
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MoVitie, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Loid
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heus and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John McVitie, Her special license that I, the said John M°Vitie, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
McVitie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: "
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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN MULES FOR SPINNING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John McVitie, 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
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 McVitie, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
:-
My Invention relates to that part of mules called the "headstock" and is
designed to obtain the positive motion of the "cam shaft" which is that part of
the "headstock" employed to effect the various changes required in spinning.
In all methods hither to adopted to dive the "canı shaft" which have been
effected by various mechanical means, such as friction wheel and spring
spaced wheel and sping, catch box and spring, or other equivalents, the
sudden engaging and disengaging of mechanism has been involved at the
moment the cam shaft is required to strike, whereby its action has been
rendered uncertain and liable to cause bicakage
The improvements consist in the employment and use of a coiled spring
placed either on the cam shaft or on a separate shaft to be connected to the
cam shaft" by suitable gearing so that by concentrating force in the spung
when the "cam "shaft" is at rest, and having that force available for turning
the "cam shaft" by the relaxation of the spring at those intervals when the
cam shaft is required to make the several changes necessary in spinning, for
example, one end of the spring may be secured to a ratchet or spur wheel
evolving loosely on the cam shaft, the other end being secured to a boss
fixed to the same shaft, motion is given to the ratchet wheel for winding up
the spring during the traverse of the carriage by a pawl secured to a lever
actuated by an eccentric from a shaft conveniently situated, and the said
ratchet wheel is provided with a loose "lip" which is caused to cover two or
more teeth; thus when the ratchet wheel has made one revolution, and
wound up the spring, the pawl actuating the same falls upon the aforesaid
lip" and so ceases to act upon the spring, the ratchet wheel being retained

page_text: in position by a catch, and when the change is required and the "cam shaft"
is released the tenison of the spring gives the necessary motion to the cam
shaft without the use of friction pulleys, spaced wheels, catch boxes, and
similar contrivances as now employed for the purpose, and the spring being
formed of several coils gives an easy regular motion to the cam shaft. When
this motion is completed the lip covering one or two of the teeth of the
ratchet wheel is raised by a stud on the cam shaft or other contrivance,
thereby allowing the pawl of the aforesaid lever to fall again into the spaces of
the ratchet wheel, and thereby effects the winding up of the spring, the loose
"lip" again falling into its place so soon as a few teeth have been taken up.
If a reduced speed be required the aforesaid arrangement of spring and
ratchet may be worked on a separate shaft which is supplied with a pinion
that gears into a wheel on the cam shaft through which motion is imparted to
the same.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail, and that the use and action of the spring may be fully comprehended, I
have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, made upon a scale of about one
-inch and a balf to the foot shewing a method of winding up the spring whilst
the cam shaft is at rest.
Fig. 1 represents a plan view of the headstock of a mule to which is shewn
applied the novel improvements consisting of an arrangement of spring in
connection with the cam shaft, and also the apparatus in connection for winding
or coiling up the same in order to prepare such shaft to transmit at the time
when the ordinary escapement takes place the required motion to the various
portions of mechanism for effecting the several operations of "drawing out"
"twisting," "backing off," and "putting up." Fig. 2 represents an end
elevation of the same. In Figs. 1 and 2, a, a, is the cam shaft, and 6 the
cams which are supported by brackets secured to the framing of the headstock c;
these cams are actuated and transmit motion to the various portions of
mechanism for effecting the changes required during spinning by means of
the spring d, the said spring being wound up or otherwise prepared to actuate
the cam shaft (at those intervals when it becomes released by the action of
the existing escapement lever) by the following arrangement of mechanism
or its equivalent:-One end of the coiled spring d is secured to the latchet
wheel e, which revolves loosely on the cam shaft a, the other end being secured
to the fixed collar or boss f; motion is given to the ratchet wheel for winding
up the spring immediately the spring has been released by the escapement
lever, by means of the lever o and pawl f¹, the said lever and pawl being
actuated by the revolving eccentric or bowl g through the medium of the

page_text: gearing hin connection with the "rim band" diver i, but in order that
the pawl shall only be allowed to actuate the ratchet e at the time required
a fixed collar or boss k is secured on the cam shaft a short distance behind
the ratchet e, the intervening space being occupied by the boss of the radial
arm oi lever l, which is in connection with the lever o actuating the pawl f",
the said radial lever also working loosely on the cam shaft a; thus as
the spring is wound up the length of coil will increase equal to the thickness
of one or more of the coils, and as this extra length accumulates it gradually
gives an increasing pressure against the ratchet e and radial lever 7, forcing
them in the duection of the fixed boss or collai k in such a manner that
the radial lever in connection with the pawlf will become blocked (when
the pawl is in its highest position) between the said ratchet and fixed collar,
thereby suspending the action of winding up until the spring is released by
the escapement, but immediately this takes place the lever o actuating the
pawl again drops on to the revolving bowl g, by which means the operation of
winding up is again resumed. Where modification of speed or force is
required the same may be effected by placing the spring upon a separate shaft
connected to the cam shaft by means of wheels or other equivalents
Ilaving now described the nature of the said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that any particular arrangement of mechanism for winding up the
spring is not an essential part of my Invention, as various mechanical
equivalents can be substituted for the means herein described where peculiar
construction of headstock or convenience of application may requue their
adoption, I therefore claim the novel employment, use, and adaptation of a
coiled or other similarly shaped spring to or in connection with the cam shaft
of mule "headstocks" for the purpose of actuating such shaft throughout
all its changes whatsoever mechanical means be used to concentrate the
force of such spring as herein-before described and fully illustrated in the
Drawings attached
In witness whereof, I, the said John McVitie, have hereunto attached
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our
Loid One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN MCVITIE. (L.S.)