IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING YARN
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING
YARN." A communication from abroad by John Rich, of Worcester,
in the State of Massachusetts United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th December 1866.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING
YARN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus to be applied to
spinning machinery for imparting a preparatory twist to rovings. The roving
is drawn down from an elevated spool or roller through a feeding clamp into
a pair of spring clips which are fitted into a twisting tube that receives' a

page_text: rapid rotation. The roving in the act of passing down between the clips and
through the rotating tube receives the requisite amount of preparatory twist
to enable it to undergo the operations of the spinning frame. The frame of
the machine is fitted with two horizontal and parallel rails in which the
twisting tubes are mounted vertically so as to freely rotate in their bearings,
each tube being provided with a whirl to receive a band from a driving drum.
The spring clips or fingers are made of thin sheet steel and sprung into the
bore of the tubes...The_fingers will spring open to liberate the thread, and
are closed upon it by a mortised plate which embraces them; these plates,
one for each pair of fingers, are attached to a horizontal bar which has a
movement up and down, guided by rods or equivalent means, to open and close
the fingers. This movement is derived from excentric pins carried by heart-
shaped rotating cams, which pins act upon pendent arms connected with the
sliding bar. Above the sliding bar there is a clamp bar provided with two
parallel bars, one at each end, which slide in suitable guides, and their lower
ends rest on the peripheries of the heart cams before mentioned, so that the
clamp bar is elevated and depressed by each revolution of the cam shaft. To
the front edge of the clamp bar are connected two parallel rods, the lower
one being fixed and the upper one journalled, so that it can be rocked by a
pendent arm at one end.; from this upper rod project a series of spring clamp
fingers, one for each twister tube, and these are so formed and placed that
when the pendent arm is in the forward position the clamp fingers will be so
far from the lower rod as to permit the rovings to pass. freely, and when in
the back position the finger will clamp the rovings against the lower rod. .
The clamping and unclamping operations are performed in the following
manner-The clamps are held in the open position by a spring which presses
against the inner side of the pendent arm and a spring catch which engages
a pin projecting from the arm holds them in a closed position. When the
clamp. bar reaches the end of its downward motion the spring catch strikes
a stop, which liberates the arm of the clamp rod that the clamps may be
opened by the tension of the spring, and when the clamp bar is rising the
pin on the arm is brought in contact with an adjustable inclined cam, by which
the arm is forced inward until the clamps are closed and the pin is caught by
the spring catch. The operation of clamping the rovings takes place when
the required length of rovings has been delivered, and as the length is required.
to be different for threads of different degrees of fineness the inclined cam is
made adjustable on the rod which supports it. The spool which carries the
roving turns freely in standards on the clamp bar, and as the clamp bar rises.
it is made to deliver the roving by rolling against. a delivery plate, which is

page_text: mounted so that it can slide vertically on a rod mounted on a rock shaft
journalled to the frame. The face of the plate is self-adapting to the varying
diameter of the spool of roving by the rocking of the carrying rod on its
fulcrum, and the surface of the plate is caused to bear gently against the
roving on the spool by means of a spring. At each operation when the
required length of roving has been given out the delivery plate is forced back
from contact with the roving on the spool to stop the delivery at the time the
rovings are clamped that the clamps may continue to rise to draw the rovings
to the extent required to produce the threads. If, however, the delivery
plate were relieved from the spool of roving suddenly by inertia it would
continue to turn and deliver roving after the delivery plate liberated the
spool; to prevent this, a little before the delivery plate is thrown back it is
made to rise for a short distance with the spool, and whilst yet in contact with
the roving.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFred
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me; the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 SPINNING YARN," being a communication to me from abroad,.
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,"
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 per-

page_text: formed, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus to be applied to
spinning machinery for imparting a preparatory twist to rovings.
The accompanying Drawings represent only the improvements which
constitute the present Invention and such parts as are necessary to shew the
connections thereof with any well known and suitable spinner, whether ring,
groove and traveller, or throstle.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2 a side elevation; Fig. 3 a vertical
section taken in the plane of the line A, a, (Fig. 1); Figures 4 and 5
are sections representing details. The same letters indicate like parts in all
the Figures.
In the said Drawings a represents a frame, and b, b, two horizontal and
parallel rails, in which are mounted the twisting tubes c, one only being
represented; these tubes are suitably journal!ed to rotate freely in the two
rails, and they are provided each with a whirl d to receive a band from a
driving drum. The upper end of each tube c is provided with a pair of spring
clips or fingers e which are made of thin sheet steel cut in the form repre-
sented at Fig. 4, and then bent to the form represented at Fig. 5 with the
lower part in the form of a nearly complete hollow cylinder, and of slightly
greater diameter than the bore of the tubes c, so that when sprung into the
tube they will be held in place by the spring of the cylindrical part as repre-
sented at Fig. 3. The fingers e will spring open to liberate the thread, and
are closed to nip the thread by a morticed plate f which embraces them.
These plates, one for each pair of fingers, are attached to a bar g, or the bar
itself may be formed with mortises to dispense with the plates. The bar g
has a movement up and down guided by rods h, h, or equivalent means to
open and close the fingers, which movement is given by the two arms i, i, of
a rock shaft j, which is provided with another arm k having a connecting
rod at its outer extremity. The lower end of this rod has a long mortise
which embraces and slides on the cam shaft m, and one face of it is provided
with two parallel flanches n, n, which are alternately acted upon by a pin o,
which for convenience projects from the face of a cam wheelp on the cam

page_text: shaft m, so that at every revolution of the said shaft the bar 9 is elevated to
open the fingers, and then depressed to close them. Above the bar g there
is a clamp bar q provided with two parallel bars, one at each end, which
slide in suitable guides, and their lower ends rest on the peripheries of two
heart cams p, p, on the cam shaft, so that the said bar q.is elevated and
depressed by each revolution of the cam shaft. To the front edge of the clamp
bar are connected two parallel rods r, r, the
upper one journalled so that it can be rocked
end thereof. This upper rod is fitted with a series of spring clamp fingers t,
one for each twister tube (but one is represented), and these are so formed
and placed that when the pendent arm s is in the forward position the
clamp fingers t will be so far from the lower rod r as to permit the rovings
to pass freely, and when in the back position the finger t will clamp the
rovings against the lower rod r.
lower one being fixed and the
by an arm s pendent from one
The clamping and unclamping operations are performed in the following
manner-The clamps are held in the open position by a spring u which acts
on the arms, and a spring catch v catches on to a pin w projecting from
the arms to hold them in a closed position. When the clamp bar reaches
the end of its downward motion the spring catch strikes a stop x which
liberates the arms of the clamp rod that the clamps may be opened by the
tension of the spring u, and when the clamp bar is rising the pin won the
arms is brought in contact with an inclined cam y by which the arm is
forced inwards until the clamps are closed, and the pin w is caught by the
spring catch v.
The operation of clamping the rovings takes place when the
required length of rovings has been delivered, and as the length is required to
be different for threads of different degrees of fineness the inclined cam y is
fitted to slide on a rod z, and provided with a temper screw so that it can be
shifted and set at any desired elevation. The roving is on a spool a¹ that
turns freely in standards b', 6', on the clamp bar q, and as the clamp bar rises it
is made to deliver the roving by rolling against a delivery plate c¹ which is
mounted so that it can slide vertically on a rod d', mounted on a rock shaft e',
journalled to the frame a. The face of the plate c¹ is self-adapting to the
varying diameter of the spool of roving by the rocking of the rod d' on the
shaft e', and the surface of the plate c¹ is caused to bear gently against the
roving on the spool a¹ by the tension of a spring f¹ (Fig. 3) attached to the
frame and to an arm g¹ on the hub of the rod d¹. At each operation when
the required length of roving has been given out it is necessary to force back
the delivery plate from contact with the roving on the spool to stop the

page_text: delivery at the time the rovings are clamped that the clamps may continue to
rise to draw the rovings to the extent required to produce the threads. This
throwing back of the delivery plate is effected by a spur h¹ on one of the
sliding rods of the clamp bar 9 which strikes an arm i¹ on the rock shaft e¹,
and vibrates it until a spur ¹ on the said shaft is caught by a spring catch k³,
which holds it during the continued upward movement of the clamp bar and
until it returns to its lowest position, at which time the clamp bar strikes the
lever of the catch and liberates the rock shaft. As this rock shaft is now
free it will be moved in the opposite direction by the tension of a spring 1,
and the delivery plate will thus again be brought_to_bear_against-the.roving on.
the spool for the next delivery. The motion of the rock shaft last described.
is caused to act on the rod d to throw back the delivery plate by an arm m¹
on the rock shaft which carries a lever pawl n¹ that catches into the ratchet
teeth of a sector rack o¹ on the rod d', and on the return motion of the rock
shaft the bent arm of the pawl strikes a stop p³ to disengage it from the sector
rack. If, however, the delivery plate were relieved from the spool of roving
suddenly by inertia it would continue to turn and deliver roving after the
delivery plate liberated the spool. To prevent this a little before the delivery
plate is thrown back it is made to rise for a short distance with the spool, and
whilst yet in contact with the roving; this is effected by a spur 2' which
projects from the rear edge of the clamp bar q, and which comes in contact
with the lower edge of the delivery plate a little before the back movement
takes place, so that the rotation of the spool shall be stopped before the
delivery plate is moved back.
I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim of Invention to the
special arrangement of machinery for imparting the motions herein described,
as any skilled machinist may obtain the same motions by well-known
mechanical equivalents; nor do I wish to be understood as limiting my
claim of Invention to the special mode of constructing the nippers on the
twister, as the mode of construction may be varied without changing the
mode of operation of this part of the Invention.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improvements in
machinery for spinning yarn, as communicated to me from abroad, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, closing and
opening the fingers on the twisting tubes by the motion of the bar or the
equivalent thereof, substantially as aud for the purpose specified.
And I also claim delivering the roving by the rolling of the periphery of

page_text: the roll of roving on the spool against the surface of the delivery plate operated
substantially as and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.s.)