IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1860

page_text: Sealed the 27th September 1860, and dated the 30th March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Lakin and John
Wain at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 30th March 1860.
We, ROBERT LAKIN, of Ardwick, in the Parish of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, and JOHN WAIN, of the City of Manchester,
in the said County, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:―
Our Invention is applicable to the machines of the kinds known as mules
and twiners, and consists in,-
1. An improvement in the copping motion or apparatus by which the
movement of the faller wire is regulated so as to give the required form
to the cop. In this improved apparatus one end of a bent lever travels
on the upper surface of a fixed incline or shaper rail of the required
form, and the other end bears upon the lower surface or edge of a shaper
plate, to which it imparts a vertical motion, the action of the lever on
the shaper plate being determined by the form of the fixed incline. The
shaper plate, in addition to the vertical motion so given receives the usual

page_text: lateral motion by the ordinary means. The faller wheel rack and sector
(when these are used to convey the required motion to the faller) are con-
nected by means of a piece which swivels on a stud, and passes through a slot
in the rack, being kept in its place by plates or pieces projecting beyond the
slot on each side of the rack. The piece passing through the slot in the
rack supports and guides it, and being free to swivel, it allows the rack to
move backwards or forwards, at the same time keeping the teeth of the rack
in contact with those of the faller wheel.
2. Improved means of diminishing the rebound of the carriage when going
into geer at the roller beam. We attach to the headstock or other convenient
stationary part of the machine one or more catches so arranged, that on the
coming in of the carriage the catch or catches may take hold of the tin roller
shaft, or other convenient shaft in the carriage, and thereby diminish the
rebound of the carriage, and keep it near to the buffers until it is about to
run out when the revolution of the shaft detaches the catch or catches and
liberates the carriage.
3. Improved means of reducing the strain on the winding chain, the
band which draws in the carriage, the ratchet wheel and click, and other
parts connected with winding on the spindles in self-acting mules and
twiners by causing a portion of the winding on to be effected from another s
source. For this purpose we employ a separate driving strap to cause
motions to be communicated through the intervention of suitable pulleys or
other agents to the rim shaft or other convenient parts, so that a portion of
the winding on is effected by this means. Instead of a strap, motion may be
obtained by geering from the headstock.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Lakin and John Wain in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
LAKIN, of Ardwick, in the Parish of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, and JOHN WAIN, of the City of Manchester, in the said County,
Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and s
successors, give and grant unto us, the said Robert Lakin and John. Wain,

page_text: our executors, administrators, and assigns, Her especial license that we, the
said Robert Lakin and John Wain, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Rohert Lakin and John Wain,
our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term of years 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
MACHINES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said Robert Lakin and
John Wain, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one
of us, 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 in compliance with the said condition, we, the
said Robert Lakin and John Wain, do hereby declare that the nature of our
said Invention, and the 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 accompanying Drawings on one
Sheet:-
Our Invention is applicable to the machines of the kinds known as mules
and twiners, and consists in, first, an improvement in the copping motion or
apparatus by which the movement of the faller wire is regulated so as to give
the required form to the cop. In this improved apparatus one end of a bent
lever travels on the upper surface of a fixed incline or shaper rail of the
required form, and the other end bears upon the lower surface or edge of a
shaper plate to which it imparts a vertical motion, the action of the lever on
the shaper plate being determined by the form of the fixed incline. The
shaper plate, in addition to the vertical motion so given, receives the usual
lateral motion by the ordinary means. The faller wheel, rack, and sector, when
these are used to convey the required motion to the faller) are connected by
means of a piece which swivels on a stud, and passes through a slot in the
rack, being kept in its place by plates or pieces projecting beyond the slot on
each side of the rack. The piece passing through the slot in the rack supports
and guides it, and being free to swivel, it allows the rack to move backwards
or forwards, at the same time keeping the teeth of the rack in contact with
those of the faller wheel.

page_text: Secondly, improved means of diminishing the rebound of the carriage
when going into gear at the roller beam. We attach to the headstock or
other convenient stationary part of the machine one or more catches 'so:
arranged, that on the coming in of the carriage the catch or catches may take
hold of the tin roller shaft or other convenient shaft in the carriage, and
thereby diminish the rebound of the carriage, and keep it near to the buffers:
until it is about to run out, when the revolution of the shaft detaches the catch
or catches, and liberates the carriage.
Thirdly, improved means of reducing the strain on the winding chain, the
band which draws in the carriage, the ratchet wheel and click, and other parts
connected with winding the yarn on the spindles in self-acting mules and
twiners, by causing the winding on to be effected in part from another source.
For this purpose we employ a separate driving strap, to cause motion to be
communicated through the intervention of suitable pulleys, or other agents, to
the rim shaft or other convenient part, so that a portion of the winding on is
effected by this means. Instead of a strap, motion may be obtained by geering
from the headstock.
In describing our improvements, we shall explain and illustrate them as
applied to the class of mules known as "Parr, Curtis, & Madeley's," which
are well known, and in general use. They may, however, be applied to other
mules, and also to the machines commonly called twiners, the requisite altera-
tions for which will readily occur to any mechanic conversant with such
machines. In the following description and in the Drawings the same letters
and numbers of reference are used to indicate the same or corresponding parts
in all the Figures in which they occur. The Drawings are made to a scale of
one and a half inches to one foot.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 are side elevations; Figure 4 is an end elevation; and
Figure 5, a plan of so much or such parts of a mule headstock as we think
requisite to explain our improvements; and Figures 6 and 7 are detached
parts.
We shall now describe the first part of our Invention with reference to
Figures 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7. A is a bent lever supported on a stud fixed in the
carriage end B; the lower end of this lever has a projection which rests on
the fixed incline or shaper rail C, fastened to the carriage slip D, or it may be
affixed to the floor. In the upper arm of the lever A is a slot, in which is
fixed a stud 1, which can easily be adjusted by means of the screw 2 passing
through the stud, and the point of which bears against the boss of the lever A;
see Figure 6, where the lever is shewn detached. The adjustable stud may be
dispensed with (though we prefer it), and in such case the upper end of the

page_text: lever may be made with a projection, so as better to act on and support the
shaper plate. In the carriage end B are three studs which
C,
pass through
corresponding slots in the plate F, to which they serve as supports and guides.
Each stud passes through a small plate or shield interposed between the head
of the stud and the plate F and extending beyond the edges of the slot, whereby
the plate F is held against the carriage end B. The shaper plate E has on
one side a projecting piece, which enters and slides laterally in a groove in the
plate F. The screw G is mounted in bearings attached to the plate F and
passes through the tapped bracket or nut attached to the shaper plate E,
which it supports and moves.
The ratchet wheel d is fast on the screw, loose
on which is the bell-cranked lever f, at the upper end of which is a catch,
which takes into the ratchet wheel and turns it when at work, by the lower end
of the lever striking against the part r of the shaper rail C as the carriage
runs out. The revolution of the screw gives the usual lateral motion to the
shaper plate. The piece e has on one side a projection passing through a slot
in the plate F, and having attached to it the plate h, which extends beyond the
edges of the slot and keeps the piece e in its place. On the opposite side of
the piece e is another projection formed to act as a guide for the sector H, and
against or on which the sector slides. The point of the plate h rests on the
upper surface of the shaper plate E. To the upper part of the sector is
attached the rack H¹, which geers with the toothed wheel I, mounted on the
faller shaft. In the faller fixing J is the stud i, on which is placed the piece ³,
(shewn detached in Figure 7,) which passes through a slot in the rack and has
pieces projecting beyond the slot on each side of the rack to keep it in its place.
The piece supports and guides the rack, and being free to swivel on the stud
it allows the rack to vibrate backwards or forwards, and at the same time
keeps the teeth of the rack in contact with those of the faller wheel I. It may
be here stated that the screw G, lever f, ratchet wheel d, sector H, rack H¹,
and wheel I, are similar to those in general use, and as their use and mode of
action are well known, they need not be further described.
2¹
A fixed incline or shaper rail has also been before employed. The shaper
plate E, as regards the form of its upper surface and the lateral motion it
receives, is also similar to the shaper plate usually employed, but in application
differs therefrom in having vertical motion during the run in and out of the
carriage combined with the ordinary lateral motion, and also differs in the
curvature of its under surface.
Having described the various parts, we will now proceed to explain their
action.
As the lower part of the lever A rests on the shaper rail C, it will be

page_text: evident that as it passes along during the run in and out of the carriage, the
ends of the lever will rise or fall in accordance with the form of the shaper
rail, which being stationary, the motion given by it to the lever will at each
stretch be the same. The stud 1 in the upper arm of the lever A acting on
the under surface of the shaper plate E will cause it to rise and fall, and with
it the plate F, piece e, sector H, and rack H', which turns the wheel I
whereby the faller is depressed. When the winding-on begins a short cone or
bottom of the cop is required to be formed. For this purpose the shaper
plate E is placed so as to bring the curved part of its under surface in contact
with the stud 1, on which the shaper plate rests. Whilst the stud is passing
within and along the curve, it is evident that it will not raise the plate to the
same extent as when it comes to act on the straight part. Less motion being
given to the shaper plate, less motion will also be communicated to the sector,
and through it to the faller, by which means a short cone or bottom of the cop
will be formed. As the formation of the cop proceeds, the shaper plate E is
gradually traversed laterally in the direction of the arrow, by which means less
and less of the curved portion and more and more of the straight portion
will be acted upon by the stud, and at- each successive vibration of the
lever, more vertical motion will be given to the plate and connected
parts, and the range of the faller and consequent length of the cone will
be gradually increased, until the stud ceases to act on the curved part. As
the variation in the length of the cone during the formation of the cop bottom
arises from the stud acting on the whole or on part only of the curved part, it
will be evident that by altering the form of the curve the length of the cone
during such formation can be varied. The quicker the curve the greater will
be the variation, and the nearer it approaches to a straight line the less it will
be. To shorten or lengthen the cone throughout the entire formation of the
cop, the stud 1 must be moved nearer to or further from the stud on which the
lever A moves. The nearer the studs are to each other the less the motion
will be, and vice versa. We prefer the shaper rail C being so set that when
the carriage is out at the extreme limit of its run, and when it is in at the
roller beam, the stud on which the lever A moves and the stud 1 shall be
parallel to the slip D, by which means the winding will commence and termi-
nate at the same point, or nearly so; and that when the lower end of the lever
A is on the highest point of the shaper rail the lower arm of the lever should
be parallel, or nearly so, to the carriage slip. The point at which the winding
on of each successive stretch of the yarn is to commence so as progressively to
begin higher and higher, is regulated by the gradual descent of the piece h
along the upper surface or edge of the shaper plate as it traverses in the direc-

page_text: tion of the arrow. For the piece e descends with the piece h, and as the sector
His raised with the piece e when the shaper plate is lifted by the lever A, the
lower the point is at which the piece e begins to rise, the less will be the height
to which it and consequently the sector will be raised, and the faller which
guides the yarn will be proportionably less depressed. In lieu of the lever A,
a rack and pinion, with a stud in the pinion, may be employed to convey
motion from the fixed shaper rail C to the moveable shaper plate E.
We shall now describe the second part of our Invention, which is also shewn
in Figures 2 and 4, which are elevations of such parts of a mule as are requi-
site to describe the same.
The bent catch K is supported by and swivels on a stud in the bracket K',
attached to the frame side L, and must be so fixed that when the carriage has
nearly completed its inward run, the tin roller shaft K2 will come in contact
with the bevilled end of the catch, and by the time the carriage has completed
its inward run the shaft will have passed over the bevilled end, and have
allowed the catch to rise up and lay hold of the shaft, which it will do by the
gravity of its lower end, which is weighted for that purpose. The screw a,
which, when the catch has risen up and laid hold of the tin roller shaft, comes
in contact with the projection a', is for the purpose of adjusting the position of
the catch. The catch must be so set that when the carriage has completed its
inward run it will hold the tin roller shaft and keep the carriage up against
the buffers, to prevent its rebounding. When the carriage is to run out, the
requisite changes are made for that purpose as usual, at which time the tin
roller shaft is put in motion, which it does at a quick speed, and the friction of
the shaft against the catch depresses it and allows the carriage to move out-
wards. It is requisite that the tin roller shaft should revolve in the direction
for depressing the catch shewn by the arrow. One or more catches may be
used, as thought desirable, and instead of the tin roller shaft, any other con-
venient rotating shaft in the carriage may be caused to be taken hold of by
the catch, suitable modifications being made.
The third part of our Invention is shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5. M is the
rim shaft, fast on which is the pulley N, the interior of which forms a friction
box fitting on the conical pulley O loose on the rim shaft: When the mule is
in operation the pulley O must receive continuous motion from the counter-
shaft or other convenient shaft. The fork P passes into a groove in the boss
of the pulley O, and is fastened to the bar Q, which slides in brackets n
attached to the frame side L to a stud, in which is attached one end of the
spring R, the other end of which is attached to a stud in the bar Q. This
spring actuates the bar Q when required, and keeps the studs upon that bar

page_text: in contact with the upper part of the bar S.
This bar slides in brackets o.
Attached to the bar are the piece T and stud U. The lever or tappet V is fast
on the axis of the quadrant W. The forked plate Y is the one used for put-
ting the friction cones into contact when the backing off is completed, as
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Matthew Curtis
and John Wain, dated the Eleventh day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five, under the head of the sixth improvement therein speci-
fied. The Drawing represents the parts in the position they are in when the
carriage is coming out, at which time the pulley O revolves loosely on the rim
shaft. When the carriage has completed its outward run, the forked plate Y
will be under the stud U, which stud is so placed that when the plate Y
receives motion, which it does when the backing-off has taken place, the plate
will come in contact with the stud, and as the plate is raised, the stud U and
with it the bar S will be raised, and the notch in the upper end of that bar is
brought opposite to the stud s, and permits the spring R to draw the bar Q
and with it the fork P, which draws the conical pulley O into contact with the
friction pulley N, which then communicates motion to the rim shaft M. The
plate Y receives motion at the time when the usual change is made to draw
the carriage in and to perform the winding on, which latter operation is
effected through the quadrant, winding-on chain, and other connected parts,
which operate in the usual manner, the motion given through the pulleys N
and O being intended merely as a means of aiding the usual winding-on
motion and of reducing the strain on the parts employed therein. Being
intended merely as such aid, it will be evident that the power of the friction
pulleys must be so regulated that they may not have sufficient force to turn
the spindles alone, and that the friction pulleys or the strap (the speed of which
is calculated to give more motion to the spindles than they require) will slip,
so as not to produce more than the speed required, which is regulated by the
winding-in motion. As the carriage runs in, the quadrant W is partially
turned, and with it the tappet V, which comes in contact with and before the
carriage has completed its inward run, acts on and presses down the piece T
and bar S, whereby the incline in the notch at the upper end of that bar acts
on the studs, forcing it, the bar Q, spring R, and fork P, into the position
shewn in the Drawing, by which means the pulleys N and O are taken out of
contact and cease to communicate motion to the rim shaft till again put into
contact, as before described.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as of our

page_text: First, the improved combination and arrangement of mechanism or appa-
ratus herein-before described, for effecting the copping motion.
Secondly, the use of a catch or catches for diminishing the rebound of the
carriage when going into geer at the roller beam.
And, thirdly, the means herein-before described of reducing the strain on
the winding chain and other connected parts of the apparatus commonly used
to effect the winding of the yarn on the spindles.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the
Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the above-
named Robert Lakin and John Wain,
in the presence of
CHARLES ASTON, Attorney,
Manchester.
ROBERT LAKIN. (L.S.)
JOHN WAIN. (L.S.)