IMPROVEMENTS IN *.CERTAIN MACHINES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS PROAL SUBSTANCES OF THE KINDS COMMONLY KNOWN AS MULES AND TWINERS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wain, of Greenacres Moor, Oldham, in the
County of Lancaster, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
*.CERTAIN MACHINES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wain at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th November
1854.
I, JOHN WAIN, of Greenacres Moor, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CERTAIN MACHINES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OF THE KINDS COMMONLY KNOWN AS MULES AND TWINERS,"
to be as follows:-
:
My said Invention is applicable to certain machines for the before-mentioned
purposes, of the kind' commonly known as self-acting mules and twiners, par-
ticularly those constructed with the improvements for which Robert Lakin and
William Henry Rhodes obtained Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day
of October, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine; and consists,
First, in causing one half of the catch box, described by the said Robert
Lakin and William Henry Rhodes in the Specification of their said Inven-

page_text: tion, for making the changes, to be connected with and to act upon the
cams used for making the changes direct, and without the intervention of the
rods, levers, and mechanical agents described by them.
Secondly, in an improved arrangement for causing the catch box to be put
into gear, and in the mode of giving motion to the change shaft.
And, thirdly, in causing the backing-off friction cones to be more gradually
brought into contact with each other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Wain in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th May
1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WAIN, of Greenacres Moor, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria did, by Her
Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date the Tenth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, give and grant
unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege, and authority, that I, the said John Wain, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of four-
teen years therein expressed, make, use, exercise, and vend, within Her said.
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN MACHINES FOR
SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OF THE KINDS
COMMONLY KNOWN AS MULES AND TWINERS;" n which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso, that if I, the said John Wain, should not particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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, then
the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the
same, relation being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Wain, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement and description, reference being
had to the Drawings on one Sheet hereunto annexed, and in which description
and Drawings the same letters and numbers of reference are used to indicate
the same parts in all the Figures in which they occur. The scales to which the
Figures are drawn are stated on the Drawings.
My improvements are applicable to certain machines for spinning and
doubling cotton and other fibrous substances of the kinds commonly known as
self-acting mules and twiners, particularly those constructed with the improve-
ments for which Róbert Lakin and William Henry Rhodes obtained Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of October, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-nine, under the title of "Certain Improvements in Machinery used
for Preparing, Spinning, Doubling, and Weaving Cotton and other Fibrous
Substances," the Specification whereof was enrolled on or about the Twelfth
day of April, One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
And I shall describe my said improvements with reference only to the self-
acting mule constructed with the said improvements of the said Robert Lakin
and William Henry Rhodes, as any mechanic conversant with such machinery
will be able to adapt them to other machines of the kinds aforesaid, to which
the same may be applicable, of whatever suitable arrangement or construction
they may be. The construction of the self-acting mule being well known, I
shall not herein describe or refer to the same further than as may be necessary
for the explanation of my present improvements; and to shew their relative
adaptation thereto..
My said Invention consists, first, in causing one half of the catch or clutch
box, described by the said Robert Lakin and William Henry Rhodes in their
Specification before referred to, for making the changes in the action of the
mule, to be connected with and to act upon the cams used for making those
changes direct, and without the intervention or use of the eccentric boss and
rods, levers, and mechanical agents combined therewith and described by them;
such catch box being marked d in Figures 6, 7, 13, and 14 in the Drawings
attached to their Specification above referred to..
Secondly, in an improved arrangement for causing the said catch box to
be put into geer, and in the mode of giving motion to the "change shaft."
And, thirdly, in the mode of causing the backing-off friction cones, described
(by the names of the friction pulley and friction cone) in the before-mentioned
Specification of the said Robert Lakin and William Henry Rhodes (and
marked G and H in Figures 6 and 7 of the Drawings attached thereto), to be
more gradually brought into contact with each other..

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of the headstock of a self-acting mule,
exhibiting parts of my improvements as applied thereto; Figure 2 is a plan
view of the same. Figure 3 is a section, and Figure 4 a front elevation, of
the disc p. herein-after described, shewn detached. Figure 5 is a plan view,
and Figure 6 a side elevation, of the driving pulleys, with the backing-off
wheel, and cone, and the strap guide and some other parts connected therewith;
Figure 7 is an end elevation, shewing the backing-off wheel, giving motion
to the wheel which drives the "change shaft."
I shall in the first place describe the means by which the first and second
parts of my said improvements are performed.
a is the side of the headstock of the mule, to which are attached the
bearings and *. The bearing 6 supports the hollow shaft c, on which are
cast the cams d, d, and d. The bearing 6* supports the solid shaft or
"change shaft" e; this shaft fits loosely, and revolves within the hollow
shaft c, and partly supports it, and is also partly supported by it and by the
bearing b. The shaft e derives motion from the wheel f, which is fastened on
it, and is driven by the backing-off wheel g, shewn in Figure 7, and more fully
described
and explained in the said Specification of the said Robert Lakin and
William Henry Rhodes, and which is well understood. h and i are the two
halves of. a catch box; the. half h is grooved, to slide on two feather keys
fixed in the shaft e, which cause it to revolve with that shaft, but leave it loose
to slide in and out of geer with the other half i the catch box, which is
coiled round the shaft e,
fastened to the hollow shaft c. j is a helical spring,
and one end of which is fastened to the hoop k, fixed on the shaft e, and the
other end presses against the half h of the catch box, tending to force it into
geer with the other half i of the catch box when required, and at liberty, as
herein-after described.. Through the boss of the half i of the catch box is a
hole, in which is placed a loose pin a², somewhat longer than the thickness of
the boss, so as to project on one side, or the other.
stud m, fastened in the frame side a.
The lever 7 swivels on the.
Near the several ends of this lever. are
On the stud o, also bolted in the lever
bolted the adjustable tappets n and n'.
1, is the disc p, (shewn separately in Figures 3 and 4,) and in which is a slot or
opening, sufficiently large to admit the shaft c to pass through it, and also to
admit of the disc being raised and lowered when required, as herein-after
described. On the face of the disc are formed the two projecting inclines q, q.
The bell-crank lever swivels on the stud s, fixed on the framing a, at the
end farthest from the delivering rollers. To the lower arm of this lever is
?

page_text: attached one end of the spring t, the other end of which is secured to a
bracket on the framing. u and u¹ are the "fallers," attached to and travelling
with the mule carriage in. the usual manner. When the machine is put in
operation, motion is given to the wheelf by the backing-off wheel 9. which
causes the "change shaft" e to rotate, and with it the half h of the catch box,
and also the spring j. It must be understood that the two halves of the
catch box are now out of geer, the lower projecting incline q on the disc p
being in contact with the nearer end of the loose pin a³, and forcing the
other end against the half h of the catch box, so as to resist the action of
the spring j. As the carriage traverses outwards, the faller u comes in contact
with the bevilled or inclined part of the tappet n, and thereby depresses the
nearer end of the lever 1, by which the disc p near to the opposite end is
raised, and the lower projecting incline q is thereby removed, and ceases to
bear on the end of the loose pin a², and allows the spring j to act on and push
forward the half h of the catch box, which comes into geer with the other
half i, which takes round with it the hollow shaft c half a revolution, thus
bringing the cams into action in such manner as is necessary in order to effect
the changes then required to be made, and which it is unnecessary to describe,
as the successive changes, and the action of the several cams on the parts of the
mule, by the intervention of which the changes are produced, are well known
to all persons conversant with such or similar spinning machinery. When
the shaft c has thus made a half revolution, the end of the loose pin a arrives
at and is forced back by the upper incline q on the disc p, and puts the
half of the catch box out of geer with the half i, and the revolution of
the shaft c and its cams consequently ceases. When the "backing off," and
other necessary operations common to self-acting mules at this stage, are per-
formed, the carriage makes its inward traverse, and the faller u', coming
into contact with the bevilled or inclined part of the tappet n', depresses the
near end of the lever 1, by which the disc p is lowered, and the upper incline q
> is removed from and ceases to bear on the end of the pin a, which allows the
halves of the catch box again to geer, and carry the hollow shaft c half way
round, thus completing its revolution, whereby the cams are again brought into
action to produce the further changes required. It is to be observed that the
spring t causes the upright arm of the crank lever r always to bear against
5 the adjacent end of the lever 1, whereby that lever is always retained in the
position in which it is last placed by the action upon it of either of the fallers,
until its position is changed by the succeeding action upon it of the other
faller.
I will now proceed to describe the means by which the third part of my said

page_text: improvements is performed. In Figures 5 and 6, v is the driving pulley, fast
on the rim shaft w; and x, the loose pulley; y is the strap guide, swivelling on
the stud z, fixed to the framing a.. To the shaft a', supported in the sides of the
framing; are attached the levers b' and 6. To the lever b' is attached one end
of the spring c¹, the other end of which is fastened to a bracket in the frame
side. At one end of the lever b' is the screw d¹, pressing on a projecting part
formed on the arm y³ of the strap guide y: The lever 6 takes into the bent
clip ³, the forked end of which fits into a groove in the boss of the backing-off
wheel 9, and the other end slides in and is kept steady by a part of the head-
stock, not shewn in the Drawing. The driving strap of the mule passes
partially round the driving pulleys x, v, and the leading side of it which comes
on to the pulleys passes through the part y¹ of the strap guide, for the purpose
of being traversed by it from one pulley to the other; the other end y² of the
strap guide is so formed as to come into contact with the strap as it leaves that
side of the pulley a little while after the part y¹ of the strap guide has come in
contact with the strap; and as soon as this contact on both sides takes place, the
traversing motion of the strap guide and of the strap is retarded, because, as is
well known, it is more difficult to move the strap by bearing against it on the
side which is leaving the pulley, owing to the friction which binds the strap to
the pulley whilst in contact with it. The spring c¹ is for the purpose of moving
the strap guide, when required, by pulling down the lever b', and with it the
screw d', which depresses the arm of the strap guide. The lever ', being
fastened on the shaft a', turns it, and with it the lever ', which pushes forward
the clip 3, and with it the backing-off wheel g, on which is formed the pro-
jecting cone g¹, which fits into an interior cone or conical recess formed in the
fast pulley v. As the lever is pulled downwards by the spring c¹, the strap
guide gradually moves in the direction of the arrow, Figure 6; and the lever b²,
and wheel g, with its cone, all move simultaneously with the strap guide, and
in the same direction, at a rate governed by the power of the spring c¹, to
overcome the adhesion of the strap to the pulleys; and by the means described,
the projecting cone on the "backing-off" wheel is gradually brought into
contact with the inner surface of the interior cone or conical recess formed
in the fast pulley v. The speed of traversing the strap can be varied, in
proportion to the time which may be caused to elapse between the part y' and'
the part of the strap guide progressively coming into contact with the
strap, as before described.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as of my
Invention,

page_text: First, the novel construction, combination, and application of mechanism, as
herein-before described, whereby one-half of the clutch or catch box, herein-
before, and in the said Specification of the said Robert Lakin and William
Henry Rhodes, described, or any mechanical equivalent therefor, is connected
with and acts upon cams or other similar parts of mechanism for effecting the
changes in the action of the mule or other machine of the description before
mentioned, direct and without the intervention or use of such eccentric boss
and rods, levers, or other mechanical agents combined therewith, as are
described by the said Robert Lakin and William Henry Rhodes in their said
Specification:
Secondly, the arrangement and combination of the lever 1, herein-before
described, and the parts connected therewith, for causing the catch box, herein-
before described, to be put into geer; and also the means or mode herein-before
described of giving motion to the "change shaft."
And, thirdly, the means or mode of causing the backing-off friction cones,
herein-before, and in the said Specification of the said Robert Lakin and
William Henry Rhodes, described, to be more gradually brought into contact
with each other by the strap guide being made to act on the strap progres-
sively on both sides of the pulley.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wain, have hereunto set my hand
and affixed my seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the said
John Wain, in the presence of
JOHN P. ASTON,
Attorney-at-Law,
Manchester.
JOHN WAIN. (L.S.)