IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING, AND DOUBLING
Year: 1878

page_text: .
LETTERS PATENT to Richard Curtis, of the Firm of Messieurs Curtis, Sons,
and Company, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker,
and William Henry Rhodes and John Wain, of the same Place, Foremen, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING,
AND DOUBLING."
Sealed the 9th August 1878, and dated the 15th March 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Curtis, William
Henry Rhodes, and John Wain at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 15th March 1878.
RICHARD CURTIS, of the Firm of Messieurs Curtis, Sons, and Company, of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and WILLIAM HENRY
RHODES and JOHN WAIN, of the same Place, Foremen. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING, AND DOUBLING."
Our improvements in slubbing, intermediate, roving, and jack frames consists in
an improved combination of machinery for imparting the requisite variations in the
speed of the bobbins by positive gearing instead of by cones and strap as usual.
To the ordinary top cone shaft is fixed a bevel wheel which gears into and drives
a similar wheel on an upright shaft, which, by other bevel wheels, drives a horizontal
shaft, at the end of which is a spur pinion gearing into another pinion on the shaft
for reversing the lift of the bobbins; this shaft is connected to the jack-in-the-
box motion as usual.
To the upright shaft above referred to is fixed a spur pinion gearing into a plate
wheel, in which are 8 or other convenient number of radial slots. Under the plate
wheel is a cross stay in which is a circular groove containing as many segments as
there are radial slots; these segments have studs, on which pinions are mounted,
these pinions gear into a central wheel, to the boss of which is fixed a bevel wheel,
gearing into a similar wheel connected to the frame supporting the pinions of a
differential motion. On the studs of the pinions above referred to are busbes

page_text: which fit in the radial slots of the plate wheel. The pinions gear in succession into
a segmental rack. The plate wheel is traversed by a shaper plate and elbow lever
or other equivalents acting on the cross bar supporting the stud of the plate wheel.
When the rovings are being wound on the empty bobbins, the pinions gearing into
the segmental rack are furthest from the centre of the plate wheel and communi-
cate the greatest velocity to the bobbins, and as the rovings accumulate on the
bobbins the shaper plate by traversing the plate wheel causes the pinions gearing
into the segmental rack to approach the centre of the plate wheel, thereby pro-
portionately reducing the speed of the bobbins.
The differential motion above referred to may be applied to slubbing and other
frames in which cones and straps are employed to drive the bobbins; in this case
the taper of the cones can be considerably reduced, thereby rendering their action
more accurate.
Our improvements in self-acting mules consist in an improved combination of
machinery for drawing in the carriage.
To the ordinary scroll shaft is fixed a scroll, to which one end of a band or
strap is attached; the other of the band or strap is attached to a scroll on the
back shaft, to which are fixed the ordinary drawing out pulleys.
The scroll on the scroll shaft is made with the smallest diameters at each end,.
increasing from each end to the middle as usual, but the scroll on the back shaft is
largest at each end, and diminishing from each end to the middle.
When the carriage is ready to be drawn in the band or strap is passing around
the smallest diameter of the scroll on the scroll shaft and around the largest
diameter of the scroll on the back shaft, thereby obtaining the greatest leverage for
starting the carriage. As the carriage is running in the scrolls by their varying
diameters impart to it an accelerating speed, which is gradually reduced until the
carriage is home, at which "time the band or strap is again acted upon by the
smallest diameter of the scroll on the scroll shaft and by the largest diameter of the
scroll on the back shaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Richard Curtis, William Henry Rhodes, and John Wain in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th September 1878.
RICHARD CURTIS, of the Firm of Messieurs Curtis, Sons, and Company, of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and WILLIAM HENRY
RHODES and JOHN WAIN, of the same Place, Foremen. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING, AND DOUBLING."
Our improvements in slubbing, intermediate, roving, and jack frames consist in
an improved combination of machinery for imparting the requisite variation's in the
speed of the bobbins by positive gearing instead of by cones and strap as usual, and
in producing the said variations by applying differential wheels to cones driven by.
a strap.
Our improvements in self-acting mules consist in an improved combination of.
machinery for drawing in the carriage.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation we will proceed to describe the accompanying two Sheets of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1, is an elevation of part of an ordinary roving frame to which
our improvements are applied; Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are detached views of parts of the
same.
a is the frame end; b, b, two of the spring pieces carrying the roller beam c;
d, the driving shaft; e, the shaft corresponding to the ordinary top cone shaft ;
f, the rack shaft; and g, the reversing shaft; all these parts and the others not
particularly referred to hereafter, but which are required to complete the machine,
are made in the ordinary manner.
To the shaft e is fixed the bevel wheel e', which gears into and drives a similar
wheel h¹ on the upright shaft h, which, by bevel wheels h³ and i³, drives the
horizontal shaft i, at the end of which is the spur pinion i¹ gearing into the pinion
j', on the shaft j, for reversing the lift of the bobbins; this shaft is connected to the
jack-in-the-box motion d' by the upright shaft k and the two pairs of bevel
wheels and pinions as usual, and as shewn in the drawing.
To the upright shaft h above referred to is fixed the spur pinion h³ gearing into
the carrier pinion h' which drives the plate wheel , shewn best in Fig. 2, in which
are eight or other convenient number of radial slots.
The plate wheel is fixed to the lower end of the stud which revolves in a bush
in the movable cross bar m. Under the plate wheel is the fixed cross stay n, see
Fig. 3, in which is a circular groove containing as many segments o as there are
radial slots in the plate wheel ; these segments have studs on which the
pinions o¹ are mounted; these pinions gear into the central wheel p, see Fig. 4,
to the boss of which is fixed the bevel wheel p³, gearing into a similar
wheel connected to the frame supporting the pinions of the differential motion 2³.
On the studs of the pinions o' above referred to are bushes which fit in the radial
slots of the plate wheel 1, as shewn in Fig. 2. The pinions o¹ gear in succession
into the segmental rack q, which is fixed to the stay n. The plate wheel / is
traversed gradually in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 by the shaper plate r.
and elbow lever r¹ or other equivalents acting on the cross bar m supporting the
stud of the plate wheel l, and the shaper plate is moved in the direction of the
arrow by the screw taking into a nut fixed to the shaper plate, the said screw
being turned from the shaft f by the bevel pinions shewn or otherwise.
The carrier pinion h* is fixed on a stud which revolves in the link h³, and. the.

page_text: lower end of the said stud fits in the block he, see Fig. 3, fitting in a radial slot in
the stay n. By this means the carrier pinion h is kept in gear with the pinion h³
and the plate wheel 7, while the cross bar is being traversed by the shaper plate, as
above described.
When the rovings are being wound on the empty bobbins the pinions o¹, gearing
into the segmental rack q, are furthest from the centre of the plate wheel 7,
and communicate the greatest velocity to the bobbins, and as the rovings accumu-
late on the bobbins the shaper plate r, by traversing the plate wheel in the
direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, causes the pinions o¹ gearing into the segmental
rack to approach the centre of the plate wheel 1, thereby proportionately reducing
the speed of the bobbins. By this means the requisite variations in the speed of
the bobbins is obtained by positive gearing, and not by the friction of a strap
passing around cones as heretofore customary, consequently a better result is
obtained, owing to the winding on being uniform.
On Sheet 2, Fig. 5 is a plan, and Fig. an elevation shewing how the differential
motion above referred to may be applied to slubbing and other frames in which
cones and straps are employed to drive the bobbins; in this case is the upper
cone; 8, the lower cone; and t, the strap passing around them, which strap is tra-
versed to and fro by a rack and pinion in the ordinary manner.
To the end of the axle of the cone 8 is fixed the pinion s', gearing into the wheel
t, in which are bearings for the axles of the mitre pinions t¹, forming part of the
differential motion; these pinions t¹ gear into the pinion t³, keyed on the shaft t³,
and in the pinion t', loose on the same shaft, but fixed to the spur pinion ť, which
gears into the wheel j³, on the shaft j, shewn in Fig. 1.
When the differential motion is used in combination with the cones, as above
described, the taper of the cones can be considerably reduced, thereby rendering
their action more accurate than heretofore.
Fig. 7 is an elevation, and Fig. 8 a plan of part of a self-acting mule to which
our improved combination of machinery for drawing in the carriage is applied; u is
the framing of the headstock; and v, the carriage.
To the ordinary scroll shaft w is fixed the scroll w¹, to which one end of the band
or strap is attached; the other end of this band or strap is attached to the scroll
y', on the back shaft y, to which are fixed the ordinary drawing out pulleys y².
The scroll w¹, on the scroll shaft w, is made with the smallest diameters at each
end, the scroll increasing from each end to the middle as usual, but the scroll y' on
the back shaft y is largest at each end, and diminishing from each end to the
middle.
When the carriage is ready to be drawn in the band or strap x is passing around
the smallest diameter of the scroll w¹, and around the largest diameter of the scroll
y, thereby obtaining the greatest leverage for starting the carriage. As the
carriage is running in, the scrolls by their varying diameters impart to it an
accelerating speed, which is gradually reduced until the carriage is home, at which
time the band or strap z is again acted upon by the smallest diameter of the scroll
w¹, on the scroll shaft w, and by the largest diameter of the scroll y', on the back
shaft y.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same, we declare that we claim,―
First. Imparting the requisite variations in the speed of the bobbins of slubbing,
intermediate, roving, and jack frames by the improved positive gearing shewn and
described in reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, or any modification of the same.
Secondly. The application of differential wheels to the cones of slubbing, inter-
mediate, roving, and jack frames for imparting the requisite variations in the speed
of the bobbins, as shewn and described in reference to Figs. 5 and 6.
And, Lastly. The double scroll y', which is largest at each end and smallest in
the middle, when applied to the back shaft of self-acting mules for drawing in the

page_text: carriage, whereby the greatest leverage is obtained at the commencement of the
inward run, as shewn and described in reference to Figs. 7 and 8.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Curtis, William Henry Rhodes, and
John Wain, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
ΒΙΟΠΗ ATYDATA
RICH CURTIS.
(L.S.)
W. H. RHODES.
JOHN WAIN.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)