IMPROVEMENTS IN, MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING, AND TWISTING FLAX, COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Campbell, Flax Spinner, Samuel M°Kinstry,
Mechanic, and Thomas Wilson, Mechanic, all of Mossley, Carnmoney,
in the County of Antrim, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN,
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING, AND TWISTING FLAX, COTTON, WOOL,
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Campbell, Samuel
McKinstry, and Thomas Wilson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 19th March 1866.
We, JOHN CAMPBELL, Flax Spinner, SAMUEL MCKINSTRY, Mechanic, and
THOMAS WILSON, . Mechanic, all of Mossley, Carnmoney, in the County of
Antrim, Ireland, do, hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING, AND TWISTING FLAX,
COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The system usually adopted for fixing the spindle and flyer together is by
means of a screw on the spindle top,, with a screw to match in the hole of the
flyer; the length of time required to screw-and unscrew is very objectionable;
and it has also been heretofore proposed to fix a spindle and flyer together by
means of two inclines made in opposite directions on the top of the flyer, or by,

page_text: inclined grooves with a pin in the spindle top to work in said inclines, but
which is subject to objections by reason of the absence of a stop to determine
the position for sliding the flyer off. Now what we propose in this Invention
is to have an incline and one groove or slot, while at the lowest part of the
incline a dead stop is formed by the termination of the highost part of the
groove or slot to prevent the pin from getting further back than the groove or
slot in the flyer. By this Invention increased facility is obtained as the doffer
cannot take the pin past the dead stop which leaves the pin in the spindle
directly over the groove or slot in the flyer, and enables flyers to be easily
removed from the spindles as compared with the former plan in which much
uncertainty exists in bringing the slot and pin opposite to each other, which
causes great delay and inconvenience to the workers so employed; this is
obviated by the guide or stop which we claim as our Invention. There may
be more than one incline, and more than one groove or slot, but if so tho
several inclines must always run in the same direction, so that the highest
point of one incline shall form the stop for the lowest point of the next one, .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the 'Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Campbell, Samuel M°Kinstry, and Thomas Wilson in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM. THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
CAMPBELL, Flax Spinner, SAMUEL MCKINSTRY, Mechanic, and THOMAS
WILSON, Mechanic, all of Mossley, Carnmoney, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland, send greeting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give. and grant unto us, the
said John Campbell, Samuel McKinstry, and Thomas Wilson, Her special
licence that we, the said John Campbell, Samuel. M Kinstry, and Thomas
Wilson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said John Campbell, Samuel McKinstry, and Thomas Wilson, 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 PREPARING, SPINNING, AND

page_text: TWISTING FLAX, COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Campbell, Samuel
M'Kinstry, and Thomas Wilson, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of 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 Campbell, Samuel M°Kinstry,
and Thomas Wilson, 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, reference being had to the Sheet
of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
:
.:
The system usually adopted for fixing the spindle and flyer together is by
means of a scrow. on the spindle top, with a screw to match in the hole of the
flyer; the length of time required to screw and unscrew renders this plan
very objectionable, the more especially as the wear of the screw is very great.
It has also been heretofore proposed to fix a spindle and flyer together by
means of two inclines in opposite directions on the top of the flyer, or by
inclined grooves with a pin on the spindle top to work on said inclines, but
which is subject to objection by reason of the absence of a stop to determine
the position for sliding the flyer off the spindle, and from the liability of the
pin to wear by reason of the sudden angle of the double incline. Now what
we propose according to this Invention is to employ an incline or inclines
running in one direction only, and one groove or slot at lowest part of each
incline, and at the lowest part of the. incline a dead stop to prevent the pin
getting further back than the groove or slot in the flyer; by this means
increased facility is obtained for taking off the flyer; as the doffer cannot tako
the pin past the dead stop, which. arrests the pin in the spindle directly over
the groove or slot in the flyer, and renders the flyers quickly and easily
removable from the spindles as compared with the plan above referred to, in
which much uncertainty exists in bringing the slot and pin opposite to each
other, causing great delay and inconvenience to the workers so employed; this
is obviated by the guide or stop which we claim as our Invention. There
may be more than one incline, and more than, one groove or slot, but if so
the several inclines must always be inclined in the same direction, so that the
bighest point of one incline shall form the stop for the lowest point of the
next one

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a spindle and flyer fitted according to
our Invention, while Figure 2 is a like view, but with the head of the flyer in
central vertical section, showing the vertical groove for the pin, and leading to
the incline whereby the flyer is to be fixed; Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 1. 5
a-is the spindle, and 6 the flyer, in appearance of the ordinary character.
The top a¹ of the spindle, which may be parallel or tapered, is furnished with
a pinc fixed in and projecting from said top a². The hole in the boss of the
flyer 6 is fitted to the form of the top a³, and has a vertical groove d'cut in it
of sufficient size to pass the pin c. The upper part of the boss has an inclined
surface e, on which the pin c bears when the flyer is turned round from the
vertical groove'd by which it entered. The incline e leads from the groove d
in such direction that the rotation of the spindle a presses the pin cup the
incline e, and so constantly tends to secure the flyer on the spindle top a'. In
removing the flyer it is simply necessary to hold the spindle a and turn the 1
flyer in the backward direction (that is to say, contrary to its motion in
spinning) till the pin c comes against the stop fat the lower end of the incline;
when being directly over the groove 'd it may be instantly lifted off the
spindle a as required for changing a bobbin.
:
Figure 4 represents a side elevation of a roving Ayer somewhat similarly s
fitted, while Figure 5 is a transverse section of the flyer boss on the spindle a,
and Figure 6 a horizontal section of the flyer boss. and spindle top. In this
case the incline e is made near the lower part of the boss, and consequently
the vertical groove d may be short. The fixing action and facilities for
removing the flyer from the spindle are the same as before described, and
need not be repeated. In this example the incline e is cut through the side
of the flyer boss, but it may, like the vertical groove d, be cut on the inside
only, and therefore invisible outside.
In Figures 2 and 5 the flyer boss is shown as being lifted a little from the
shoulder on the spindle; this would result in Figure 5 from the action of the
inclined groove e, but in Figure 2 it would only rise so by hand.
Figure 7 represents a modification of the above, in which the pin c is fixed
on the boss of the flyer, while the vertical and inclined grooves are formed on
the spindle top a¹ ;-the action of fixing by this means is precisely similar to
that herein-before described, and therefore need not be repeated; the vertical
groove d forms the fixed stop against which the pin c comes when it is turned
round for removal, affording great facility for removing the flyer from the
spindle.
1

page_text: Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the arrange-
ment of a vertical groove and inclined surface for fixing a flyer to its spindle
by means of a pin, as herein-before described, in combination with a fixed stop
determining the position of the pin or other equivalent, so that it shall be in
line with the groove it traverses when the flyer is removed from the spindle, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Campbell, Samuel M°Kinstry,
and Thomas Wilson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Four-
teenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-six.
JOHN CAMPBELL.
(L.B.)
SAMUEL MOKINSTRY. (L.s.)
THOMAS WILSON.
(L.S.)