Im- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Elce, of the City of Manchester, Machine.
Maker, and Thomas Elce, the younger, of Via Gellia, near Matlock, in
the County of Derby, Cotton Spinner, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING."
Sealed the 31st January 1868, and dated the 3rd August 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Elce and Thomas
Elce, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 3rd August 1867.
We, JOHN ELCE, of the City of Manchester, Machine Maker, and THOMAS
ELCE, the younger, of Via Gellia, near Matlock, in the County of Derby,
Cotton Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING,to be as follows:
Our Invention is applicable to the self-acting mules in which the cam shaft
is, driven by positive gearing......
Our improvements consist in fixing a disc or other equivalent having
two studs and bowls to the cam shaft, and in applying a spring so as to act
alternately on the said studs and bowls, whereby the cam shaft is brought
into and held in its proper position after a change has been made. By this
arrangement the cams are brought into the required position for separating
instantaneously the two halves of the catch,box by which the cams are driven,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Elce and Thomas Elce, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
ELCE, of the City of Manchester, Machine Maker, and THOMAS ELCE, the
younger, of Via Gellia, near Matlock, in the County of Derby, Cotton
Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ús, the said John Elce and Thomas Elce, junior, Her special license that we,
the said John Elce' and Thomas Elce, junior, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the 'said John Elce and Thomas Elce, junior,
our executors, administrators, 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 MACHINERY FOR
SPINNING AND DOUBLING," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Elce and Thomas Elce, junior, our executors or administrators by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent....
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Elce and Thomas Elce, junior, do
hereby declare the nature of our 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):
Our Invention is applicable to the self-acting mules in which the cam shaft
is driven by positive gearing.
Our improvements consist in fixing a disc or other equivalent having
two studs and bowls to the cam shaft, and in applying a spring so as to act

page_text: on the said studs and bowls, whereby the cam shaft is brought into and held
in its proper position after a change has been made. By this arrangement
the cams are brought into the required position for separating instantaneously
the two halves of the clutch box by which the cams are driven, thus preventing
the points of the teeth of the clutch box from catching and the consequent
noise and wearing away of the teeth.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings.
Figure 1 is an elevation of part of the headstock of a self-acting mule to
which our improvements are applied; Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 a
section of the same.
manner.
a is part of the driving or rim band pulley shaft; b, the cam shaft which is
driven by positive gearing in the ordinary manner; c is part of the usual long
lever; d is a disc keyed on the boss of the cams through which the cam
shaft 6 passes, and in the face of this disc are two studs for the antifriction
bowls e; the spring which is fixed to a bracket projection from the framing
of the headstock, acts upon the bowls e; this spring may be fixed in any other
On the cam shaft is mounted the sliding part 9 of the clutch box,
this part is provided with a key taking into a groove in the cam shaft as
usual, and the part h of the clutch box is fast on the boss of the cais.
Through the boss of the part h is a hole for the pin i, one end of which is in
contact with the sliding half of the clutch box g, and the other end rests
against and is acted upon by the inclines j projecting from the plate k which
is suspended to the long lever c; the back of the plate k is in contact with
the bearing 1 supporting the cams. When the two halves of the clutch box
are open, as shewn in the Drawing, the cam shaft 6 is at liberty to revolve
within the cams which are stationary and held in their proper positions by the
springfacting on one of the bowls e; as soon as the long lever is liberated
the plate k drops and allows the pin i and the sliding part of the clutch box g
to be pushed forward by the spring b₁ until the part 9 comes into gear with
the part h, the cams are then connected to and driven by the cam shaft and
as the disc d revolves in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 the lower
bowl e acts on the end of the spring f until it arrives nearly in a line above
the centre of the cam shaft, the final portion of the half revolution of the cams
being completed by the spring f, thereby bringing the incline j.into the-proper-
position for separating the halves of the clutch box g, h.
By means of our improvements the cains are brought into the desired
position for insuring with certainty the proper opening and closing of the

page_text: clutch box, thereby preventing the points of the teeth from catching and the
consequent noise and wearing away of the teeth, which defects are of frequent
occurence by the machinery at present in use.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that our improvements
are applicable to cam shafts driven by friction instead of clutch boxes, and
that we make no claim to any of the well known parts of the machine which
are shewn on the Drawing, and referred to in order to illustrate the appli-
cation of our improvements, but what we do claim is the application of the
disc d, with studs and bowls e, and spring when combined and used for the
purposes described.
In witness whereof we, the said John Elce and Thomas Elce the
younger, have hereto set our hands and seals this Thirtieth day of
January, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
JOHN ELCE.
(L.S.)
THOS. ELCE, JUNIOR. (L.S.)