IM- PROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wain, of Levenshulme, near Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of " IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wain at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st March 1873.
I, JOHN WAIN, of Levenshulme, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING," to be as
follows:-
In those mules where the drawing in of the carriage is effected through
scrolls it is usual to fix them on a shaft supported by bearings attached
to the framing of the headstock, and this shaft revolves at a uniform
speed. To enable the scrolls to draw the carriage in at a variable speed,
namely, slow at the commencement, quicker in the middle, and again
slow at the finish of the inward run, they are formed small at each end,

page_text: and larger in the middle, by which means, as the band is wound on the
smallest diameter of the scroll it imparts the requisite slow motion to
the carriage at the commencement of the inward run, and this motion is
gradually increased and again diminished at the termination of the
inward run by being wound on to the increased and diminished diameters 5
of the scroll.
"
In my arrangement I fix the scroll on a shaft, supported by bearings
attached to the carriage and carriage square, and instead of the scroll
being formed in the usual way I make it with its largest diameter at its
two ends, and with its smallest diameter in the middle. The shaft on 1
which the scroll is placed may extend the whole length of the carriage,
or only for a portion thereof. On it I fix two or more spur wheels,
gearing into racks fixed either to the floor or to the slips. The object of
these spur wheels and racks is to draw the carriage up and to keep it
square as it runs in and out. Loose on the rim shaft of the mule I place 1
a grooved pulley, to the to the boss of which on one side is the half of
a catch box, and on the other is a flange to prevent the pulley from
moving sideways. To the backing off wheel I attach the half of a catch
box corresponding with the half on the boss of the grooved pulley.
When the carriage requires to be drawn in the halves of the catch box 2
are put in contact, and motion is communicated from the backing off
wheel to the grooved pulley, and thereby through a "band to the scroll
and the shaft on which it is fixed. The grooved pulley and catch box
may be on the change shaft if preferred.
In order to prevent the band which drives the scroll from slipping in 2
the groove of the pulley I make the groove with undulations. This form
of groove is equally applicable to the rim band and the carrier-pulleys
over which the scroll and rim bands pass.
o
Another part of my Invention relates to the mode of giving motion to
the change shaft e, described in the Specification of a Patent granted to 3
me on the 10th day of November 1854, No. 2393. Instead of driving.
the said change shaft e, as described in the Specification of the said
Patent, I drive it direct from the rim shaft through spur wheels, and I
cause the said change shaft, by means of a spur wheel fastened on it, to
give motion to the backing off wheel marked 9 in the before-named "s
Specification.
Another part of my. Invention relates to an improved mode of pushing.

page_text: the carriage in while twisting at the head on the completion of the out-
ward run. To accomplish this I extend the change shaft above referred
to to near the front end of the headstock, and place on it one or more
cams varying in size, and on the drawing in shaft at the front of the
headstock I fix a ratchet wheel loose, on the boss of which is a lever, on
one side of which is a catch taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel.
As the change shaft rotates one of the cams on it is arranged to come in
contact with and lift the outer end of the lever, and as the lever rises the
catch takes into a tooth of the ratchet wheel, and causes it and the
drawing in shaft partially to rotate. The amount of rotation depends on
the size of cam which acts on the lever. The amount of drawing in is
varied by a lever acted upon by a cord connected to the carriage, which
lever can be arranged to lift the catch out of gear with the ratchet wheel
when sufficient drawing in is effected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said John Wain in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WAIN, of Levenshulme, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Wain, Her special licence.
that I, the said John Wain, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Wain, my executors, adminis-,
trators, 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 MULES FOR
SPINNING AND DOUBLING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Wain, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in

page_text: writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 John Wain, do hereby declare
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) :—
In those mules where the drawing in of the carriage is effected
through scrolls it is usual to fix them on a shaft supported by bearings
attached to the framing of the headstock, and this shaft revolves at a
uniform speed. To enable the scrolls to draw the carriage in at a variable
speed, namely, slow at the commencement, quicker at the middle, and
again slow at the finish of the inward run, they are formed small at each
end and large in the middle, by which means as the band is wound on
the smallest diameter of the scroll it imparts the requisite slow motion
to the carriage at the commencement of the inward run, and this motion
is gradually increased and again diminished at the termination of the
inward run by being wound on the increased and diminished diameters
of the scroll.
According to my present Invention I fix the scroll on a shaft sup.
ported by bearings attached to the carriage and carriage square, and
instead of the scroll being formed in the usual way I make it with its
largest diameter at its two ends, and with its smallest diameter in the
middle, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, which represent an elevation and plan of part of a self-acting
mule, to which my improvements are applied. a is the rim band pulley
shaft; b, the backing off wheel; c, the strap fork lever; d, the front
roller connecting shaft; f, the carriage; and 9, 9", the copping faller and
counterfaller shafts. These parts and the others not particularly referred
to hereafter are made in the usual manner. Within the carriage ƒ and
the carriage square are the bearings for the shaft h, which acts as the
squaring shaft on which the scroll ³ is fixed. The shaft h may extend
the whole length of the carriage, or only for a portion thereof. On the
shaft h are fixed the spur wheels h³, h³, gearing into the racks i, à, fixed
either to the floor or to the slips. The object of these spur whools and

page_text: racks is to draw the carriage up, and to keep it square as it runs in and
out.
The rack shewn in Fig. 1 and in the upper part of Fig. 2 is provided
with curved ends, and the spur wheel gears into the straight part of
the rack, while the spur wheel h³, which is eccentric to the wheel /³,
gears into the curved ends of the rack. The object of these curved
racks is to reduce the diameter of the ends of the scroll h³, but the
racks may be straight, as shown at i, at the lower side of Fig. 2, in which
case the eccentric wheel h³ is dispensed with, and the ends of the scroll ³
must be of sufficient diameter to compensate for the reduction in the
speed produced by the eccentric wheel h³ gearing into the curved racks i².
Loose on the rim shaft a I place the grooved pulley a¹, on one side of
which is cast or fixed the half of a catch box or friction box a³, and on
the other is a flange to prevent the pulley from moving sideways. To
the backing off wheel 6 I attach the other half of a catch box or friction
box 62, corresponding with the half a² on the boss of the grooved pulley a¹.
When the carriage requires to be drawn in the halves of the catch box
or friction box a³, b³, are put in contact in the usual way by the ordinary
faller sector, which acts on the lever f¹, and disengages the catch f*..
The spring then raises the short arm of the lever f*, thereby drawing
the backing off spring rod ƒ³ towards the front of the headstock, and
causing the backing off lever fe to disconnect the backing off cone, and
to put the half catch or friction box 6ª into gear with a³. Motion is thus
communicated from the backing off wheel 6 to the grooved pulley a², and
thereby through the band ' to the scroll h³, and the shaft h on which it
is fixed.
When the carriage has completed its inward run the strap fork lever c
moves the driving strap on to the fast pulley, and a projection from the
lever c acting on a bowl on the lever f* disconnects the catch or friction
box a, b, and brings the parts into position for the next draw. The
ends of the band h* are secured to the horns of the scroll h³, and the
band after passing over one portion of the scroll is taken around the
tightening pulley at the front of the headstock. It passes thence under
the carriage to the guide pulley h³, shown best in the end view Fig. 3,.
then over the grooved pulley a', then under the guide pulley hº, and then
around the other portion of the scroll ³. In order to prevent the band h*,.
which drives the scroll ³, from slipping in the groove of the pulley a¹, I,
make the groove with diagonal undulations, as shewn in Figs. 2 and 4,.

page_text: the said undulations corresponding to the strands of the band. This.
form of groove is equally applicable to the rim band and the carrier.
pulleys over which the scroll and rim bands pass.
My Invention may be modified by applying the grooved pulley a¹ and
the catch box a³, b³, to the change shaft e, as shewn in Fig. 5. In this.5
case the half catch box or friction box 6' is fixed to the wheel e³ on the
change shaft e gearing into the backing off wheel b, and the backing off.
lever fo, shewn in Fig. 1, moves the pulley a¹ to and fro on the change
shaft e, to bring the catch or friction box in or out of gear, as before
described.
1
Another part of my Invention relates to the mode of giving motion to
the change shaft e, described in the Specification of a Patent granted to
me on the Tenth day of November, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four No. 2893. Instead of driving the said change shaft e, as
described in the Specification of the said Patent, I drive it direct from 1
the rim shaft through spur wheels, as shewn in Figs. 1, 6, and 7. The
pinion a*, which is fixed to the loose pulley a³, as usual, gives motion by
carrier wheels to the wheel e¹ on the change shaft e, and the change
shaft then gives motion to the backing off wheel 6 by the pinion e³ keyed
upon it. By this means I cause the said change shaft to give motion to 2
the backing off wheel, whereas in the Patent above referred to the
backing off wheel gave motion to the change shaft.
.
Another part of my Invention relates to an improved mode of pushing
the carriage in while twisting at the head on the completion of the out-
ward run. To accomplish this I extend the change shaft e, above 2
referred to, near the front end of the headstock, as shewn in Figs. 8
and 9, and place on it one or more cams e³, varying in size, and on the.
drawing in or quadrant shaft k, at the front of the headstock, I fix a
ratchet. wheel ³, loose on the boss of which is the lever ³, on one side
of which is the catch ³, taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel A. S
As the change shaft e rotates one of the cams e³ is arranged to come into
contact with and lift the outer end of the lever k³, and as the lever rises.
the catch takes into a tooth of the ratchet wheel k¹, and causes it and.
the drawing in or quadrant shaft partially to rotate. The amount of
rotation depends on the size of cam which acts on the lever carrying the g
catch to move the ratchet wheel for one or more teeth: The amount of
drawing in is varied by the lever 1, acted upon by the cord 7, connected

page_text: to the carriage, which lever can be arranged to lift the catch ³ out of
gear with the ratchet wheel k¹ when sufficient drawing in is effected.
Having thus stated the nature and particulars of my Invention I
declare that I claim,―
First. Forming the drawing in scroll as herein-before described, and
causing the shaft on which it is fixed to act as the squaring shaft by
means of the wheels fixed on it gearing into racks, as shewn and
described.
Secondly. Drawing up the carriage by a band and pulley on the rim
shaft, and driving the said pulley by the backing off friction wheel, as
shewn and described.
Thirdly. Drawing up the carriage by a band and pulley on the change
shaft, as shewn and described.
Fourthly. Making the drawing in pulley and other pulleys, around
which the scroll and rim bands pass, with undulations to prevent the
slipping of the bands, as shewn and described.
Fifthly. The improved mode of communicating motion from the loose
pulley on the rim shaft to the change shaft, as shewn and described.
And lastly. The improved combination of machinery for pushing the
carriage in while twisting at the head, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wain, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.
JOHN WAIN. (L.S.)