CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Elce, of the City of Manchester, Machine
Maker, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Elce at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 7th February
1854.
I, JOHN ELCE, of the City of Manchester, Machine Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS'
follows:-
My Invention consists, first, in a new combination of parts for altering the
position of the nut on the radial arm forming part of the winding on motion
of self-acting mules. These parts consist of a friction box supported in
bearings fixed to the carriage. The sliding part of the friction box fits on a key,
and to the loose part is fixed a pinion put in motion when the carriage is going
out or in by a rack fixed to the floor. When the carriage is going out the
two parts of the friction box are disconnected, but when the carriage is going
in, if the tension of the yarn on the faller is too great, the friction box is brought
into action by a lever connected to the fallers, and the screw nut on the screw
of the radial arm is made to move from its fulcrum by a band passing over
suitable carrier pulleys, and put in motion by a pulley on the same shaft as

page_text: the friction box; one of these carrier pulleys is mounted on the fulcrum of the
radial arm, and turns the screw round in the usual manner.
Secondly, my Invention consists in another combination of parts for producing
the winding on motion. To the carriage square is attached the fulcrum stud of
a vibrating lever, and to the framing of the head stock is attached the fulcrum
of the radial arm, which is furnished with a screw and nut as usual. When
the carriage is out, the vibrating lever and radial arm, which are jointed
together at their outer extremities, are vertical, or nearly so; but when the
carriage is in, the vibrating lever stands at an angle, and the radial arm is
nearly horizontal. The vibrating lever is provided with a shaft which is put in
motion by a bevel wheel fixed on a shaft supported in the carriage, which shaft
is driven by a friction box and by a rack on the floor, as described in the first
part of my improvements. The motion given to the shaft of the vibrating
lever is communicated to the screw of the radial arm by bevel pinions fixed
near their outer extremities; by this means the over tension of the yarn
is
made to increase the distance of the nut from the fulcrum of the radial
arm.
Thirdly, my improvements consist in another combination of parts for
producing the winding on of the yarn to form the bottom of the cop. To the
carriage square is attached the fulcrum stud of the radial arm, and to the
framing of the head stock is attached the fulcrum of a vibrating lever, to which
the outer end of the radial arm is jointed by a stud and bowl fixed to one
working in a slot in the other. When the carriage is out the vibrating lever
and radial arm are vertical, or nearly so; but when the carriage is in, the
vibrating lever is at an angle, and the radial arm is nearly horizontal. The
winding on chain being attached to a nut on the screw of the radial arm
passes over a carrier pulley attached to the head stock, is connected with the
winding on barrel, as usual, and is let off more or less, as required, according
to the position of the nut, and the varying angles produced in the radial arm
when the carriage is going in. The screw of the radial arm is put in motion
by a friction box on a shaft supported in the carriage; one part of the friction
box works on a key, and the other part is attached to a wheel running loose on
the shaft; the wheel works in a rack fixed to the floor, which gives the
required motion as the carriage moves in and out. The friction box shaft is
connected by gearing to the screw of the radial arm, and when the yarn is too
tight the friction box is brought into action by a lever in connexion with the
fallers, thereby working the nut up the screw of the radial arm until the cop
dottom is completed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Elce in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ELCE, of the City of Manchester, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Elce, Her special license that I, the said John Elce,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Elce, my 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Elce, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said John Elce, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The nature of my Invention consists in certain improved combinations of
machinery applicable to the machines for spinning known as Roberts' self-
acting mules for regulating the winding on of the yarn from the bare spindle
until the bottom of the cop is formed, and in order that my Invention may be
fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the
means pursued by me, reference being had to the two Sheets of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the outline of a self-acting mule
to which my improvements are applied: Figure 2 is a front view; and Figure 8,

page_text: a plan of part of the same. a is the framing of the head stock; b, the drawing
rollers; c, the radial arm; c', the screw, furnished with the nut c³, which is
moved up by the mitre pinions and c and pulley c; c is the winding on
chain, which is wound on to the winding on barrel as usual; d, the quadrant
pinion; e, the carriage of the mule; f, the fallers on the shaft; f, g, the counter
fallers on the shaft g'; and i, the spindles. All the parts above enumerated arc
made in the usual manner. The screw nut c2 is moved from the fulcrum of
the radial arm during the formation of the lower part of the cop by means of
the rack j, which is fixed to the floor or to the framing of the head stock. The
intermediate wheel k, which is keyed to a shaft supported in bearings fixed to
the carriage e, gears into the rack j, and imparts motion when the carriage is
going in or out, to the pinion 1, fixed to the shaft ¹; this shaft is also supported
in bearings fixed to the carriage. 12 is a groove pulley, to which is fixed or
cast the friction pulley ; both of these are loose on the shaft 11. 1' is the
sliding friction box connected to the shaft l', by means of a groove and key.
This sliding friction box is brought into contact with the friction pulley 1³, when
the yarn is too tight, by the elbow lever m, one arm of which is weighted, as
shewn in Figure 2, and the other arm has a key taking into a groove in the
sliding box. The weighted arm of the elbow lever m bears upon the lever n;
this lever is supported on the fulcrum stud n³, and the extremity of it is
suspended by the chain n³, from the faller f, and counter faller g. o is a band
passing over the groove pulley 12, over the guide pulleys o² and of, and over
the pulley c, on the fulcrum of the radial arm. The mode of operation is as
follows: The carriage is now supposed to be going out, consequently the
fallers are in the positions for allowing the spindles to draw out the cotton or
other fibrous material that is being delivered by the drawing rollers b. When
the carriage is out, the backing off takes place, and the fallers are acted upon
in the usual manner during the running in of the carriage, to wind the
yarn
on the spindles. As long as the yarn remains at its proper tension, that is to
say,
when the number of revolutions given to the spindles during the running
in of the carriage, and the motion given to the fallers is such that no undue
tension is given to the yarn, the sliding part of the friction box does not
come in contact with the friction pulley 23, consequently no motion is given to
the groove pulley 12, and band o; but when the yarn is too tight and it becomes
necessary to let off more of the winding on chain (part of which is shewn at cº),
the tension of the yarn depresses the fallers sufficiently to allow the weighted
arm of the elbow lever m, to press the sliding friction box 14 in contact with
the friction pulley 13; the cordo is thus put in motion, thereby giving motion
to the pulley, pinions c³ and c, and screw c¹, which, as before stated, passes

page_text: through the nut c; by this means the nut is made gradually to increase its
distance from the fulcrum of the radial arm c, until the bottom of the cop is
fornied.
Another modification of this improved winding on regulator is shewn
in Sheet 2; Figure 4 being a side elevation; Figure 5, a front view; and
Figure 6, a plan of the same. As most of the pieces in these three views are
similar to those described in reference to Sheet 1, they are marked with
corresponding letters and figures of reference. In this instance the rack j,
pinion, and intermediate wheel & are dispensed with, and the friction box is
supported by the end of the winding on barrel shaft p. The mode of operation is
precisely the same as in the foregoing arrangement, that is to say, when the
yarn is too tight the fallers are drawn down, thereby allowing the lever n to
drop sufficiently for the weighted end of the lever m to push the sliding friction
box into contact with the part marked ", thereby giving motion to the
band o, and from it to the nut c².
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I make no claim to any
of the parts separately; but what I claim is, the friction box and parts acting
in combination therewith when used in the manner and for the purpose herein-
before shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Elce, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four.
JOHN ELCE. (L.S.)