IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SORTING AND NUMBERING THE THREADS OR FILAMENTS OF SILK OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Thomas Hughes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th February 1859.-A communication from Fabius Mainardi, Merchant,
of Lyons, in the Empire of France.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the firm of Hughes & Son, Patent
Agents, 128, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
SORTING AND NUMBERING THE THREADS OR FILAMENTS OF SILK OR OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS," a communication from Fabius Mainardi, Merchant, of Lyons,
in the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
This Invention is to sort fibrous materials, particularly silk, in the raw state,
so that it may be made up in hanks of the required length and weight, thus
avoiding the disadvantages resulting from the union of threads of different
strengths, and preventing the loss caused by employing for weft that which
was intended for thrown silk, and vice versa, which is accomplished as
follows:-
Certained defined lengths of the thread or filament are wound on bobbins,
and then weighed to determine the numbers. The operation is divided into
the processes of dividing, cleansing, and doubling, for which a bobbin, à
regulating counter or reckoner may be employed, the said two contrivances
being subordinate to an arrangement by which the bobbin stops the moment
that one or more threads break. There are certain boxes, in each of which is
a connecting rod attached to a slide having a notched end, called the regu-
ator, supported at the sides of the box. At one side of the said box is placed
the bobbin, and at the opposite side an endless screw. The connecting rod is

page_text: moved alternately by the bobbin. In one of the bars or divisions of the frame-
work supports are placed, which work on pivots, supporting carrying guides or
eyelets, and are kept in equilibrium by the threads passing over them,
so that when a thread breaks its corresponding frame falls down by its own
weight into one of the notches of the regulater and holds it, stopping the
turning of the bobbin. As the bobbin would not turn unless the thread was
wound on, it is only necessary to count or determine the number of revolutions
the bobbin has made, which, multiplied with the circumference, will give the
total length wound upon it.
The counter consists of a spindle, with two toothed wheels, one of which is
vertical and the other horizontal, which work a bolt or bar carrying a needle
or pointer sliding in a groove formed in the covers of the boxes. In the said
groove the regulator moves as required, which may be stopped or ajusted by
a set screw, the required number of revolutions being indicated by divisions
along the side of the groove, which may also be made to indicate the arrival
of the pointer after any desired length of thread has been wound on the
bobbin.
When it is desired to adopt the aforesaid bobbin counter, the toothed wheel
applied to the endless screw is put in motion by the connecting rod, it being
certain that the needle when stopped by the regulator, the movement of the
counter will be stopped also, and with it the connecting rod and bobbin. A
lever is fixed to the ends of the connecting rod to disengage the needle and
move it to zero at each time the operation of counting has to be commenced.
When the regulator counter is adopted, it is put in a box and motion given to
a skeleton drum or recl, which also drives an endless screw, giving motion
to the counter the same as in the arrangement just described.
The reel is put in motion the thread or threads, which after having
-passed through the guides contract with another guide, and from thence to
the reel, which stops each time a. thread breaks, because the bobbin stops as
before mentioned. The reel also stops when the required number of revo-
Jutions has been obtained by means of the needle or pointer of the regulator,
as in the arrangement of the bobbin counter. In order to move the needle
to zero it is only necessary to suspend or hold the reel; the circumference of
the latter being known, the thread which is wound off will be passed on to
the bobbin, or the same may be accomplished by electricity.