IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI- NERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1853

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the. said John Elce, at the
Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th October 1853.
*I, JOHN ELOR, of the City of Manchester, Machine Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI-
NERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
to be as follows:
My-improvements consist, first, in an improved atmospheric presser,
applicable to ślubbing and roving frames, whereby the flyer is at all times
equally-balanced, and the vibration of the spindle prevented during the
filling of the bobbin. Secondly, in dispensing with the toothed seg-
ment and pinion generally employed in the winding on motion of
mules, known as Roberts' self-actors, and connecting the segment on
7
I

page_text: the sector shaft with the faller shaft by a link jointed to the said seg
ment and to a lever on the faller shaft. And, lastly, in dispensing with
the catch box on the back shaft of Roberts' self-acting mules, and in
applying the catch box on the front drawing roller to the short side
shaft, driven by bevel pinions from the front drawing roller. A
ratchet wheel fixed on the front drawing roller is acted upon by
clicks, jointed to the wheel by which the front drawing roller is put
in motion when the carriage is going out. By this arrangement the
head stock is simplified, and the carriage and drawing rollers are
started simultaneously, which is very difficult to accomplish when two
catch boxes are employed, as in the ordinary mode of construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Elce in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th April 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN ELCE, of the City of Manchester, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Elce, Her special licence that
I, the said John Elce, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Elce, my 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 AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Elce, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 I, the said John Elec, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, that is to say:
My Invention consists, firstly, in an improyed presser, applicable
to the flyers of roving frames and other machines of the like nature,
which presser is kept in contact with and balanced, during the filling
of the bobbin, by the action of a weight attached to or forming part of
the presser leg; secondly, in dispensing with the toothed segment
and pinion forming part of the copping motion of the machines for
spinning, known as Roberts' self-acting mules, and in connecting the
sector shaft to the faller shaft by a link and levers, whereby a uniform
action is obtained, and the parts are capable of being more accurately
adjusted than heretofore; and, lastly, in an improved arrangement
of parts, also applicable to Roberts' self-acting mules, for starting
the carriage and the drawing rollers simultaneously.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same, reference being had to the
accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1, is an elevation of a roving frame flyer of the
ordinary construction to which my improvements are applied; Figure 2,
is a plan view in section of the same, taken through the line A, B, in
Figure 1. a, is the flyer; b, the spool, which is represented by dotted
lines in Figure 1; and c, the presser, which is jointed to and swivels
partly round the hollow leg of the flyer in the ordinary manner. c', is
a projection from the presser, into which is rivetted the wire d, the
upper part of which passes through the bearing a', attached to the flyer
leg. The projection c, and bearing a, are used separately for some

page_text: "
other pressers.... The wire d, is bent over above the bearing a¹, and its
lower end is made fast to the piece e, which is attached to the wire'd,
near to the presser; this outer portion of the wire between the bearing
a¹, and the piece e, is marked f. In Figure 2, the full lines represent
the presser. in contact with the spool on which the rovings are wound,
and the dotted lines represent the presser in its position when the bobbin
is full. When the flyer is revolving, the centrifugal action of the part
marked f, keeps the presser in contact with the bobbin, and the rovings
are wound at or nearly a uniform pressure from the commencement to
the completion of a bobbin. The equilibrium of the spindle is maintained,
and consequently the injurious effects of vibration are avoided, owing to
the relative position of the presser and part-marked f, and to the presser
sitself moving round the flyer, leg, whereas the upper part of the wire d
moves in the bearing a
Figures 3, and 4, represent a modification of my iniprovements in
pressers. In these views, the wire d is bent above the bearing a', and
to it is attached the weight 'g; the action of which is similar to that of
the. part f, described in reference to Figures 1, and 2.
Figures.5, and 6, represent another modification of tliis' part of my
improvements. In this instance the presser is connected to the flat
bar h, the upper end of which is supported by and swivels in the
bearing a. I prefer to make this flat bar heavier at its upper than at
its lower end; but it may be of equal dimensions throughout; the action
of this bar on the presser is similar to that of the part f, described in
reference to Figure 1 and 2. In the three flyers above described the
bearing a¹ is made with 'shoulders, to prevent the presser flying back
when the machine is stopped.
On Sheet 2, Figure 7, is a side elevation of a self-acting mule, to
which my improvements are applied; Figure-8, is an end elevation;
and Figure, 9, a plan of the same. In these views i, is the framing;
, the front drawing roller; k, the cam shaft; 1, the back shaft; m, the
carriage; n, the faller shaft; o, the counter faller shaft; and P, the
sector shaft, all of which. parts are made in the usual manner. To
the faller sliaft n,-is fixed a small lever ', to which is jointed one end of
the link g; the other end of this link is jointed to the lever p', which

page_text: is cast or otherwise fixed to the smooth segment p: The, link q, and
the levers n and 'p', form the connection between the faller shaft and
sector, shaft,, and are used in lieu of the toothed segment and pinion
usually employed for, the same purpose. By this means the injurious
effect of the play between the teeth is avoided, and; the relative
position of the fallers can be adjusted with great facility by loosening
the set screw in the boss of the lever n'; and tightening it again when
the lever n', has been set. The other: parts of, the copping motion, are
not shewn in the Drawing, as they are similar to those in general use.
I will now proceed to describe the last part of my.Invention, which
consists in an improved combination of parts for, effecting the simul,
taneous starting of the carriage and of the drawing follers...In Roberts:
self-acting mules it is customary to have a catch box on the back shaft;
and another catch box on.the..front. drawing..roller, and unless both
these catch boxes are thrown into: gear at the same time, the starting
of the drawing rollers and of the carriage is not simultaneous. In
order to insure the starting of the carriage and the drawing rollers at
the same time, and to simplify the head stock, I dispense with both the
catch boxes above referred.to, and make use of the following pieces :-
Upon the front drawing roller jis keyed a ratchet wheel j; this ratchet
wheel is placed within the spur wheel, in which are fixed studs for
the clicks; the wheel is cast or otherwise fixed to the initre pinion j',
both of which are loose on the front drawing roller. The mitre pinion
gears into the pinion, the back of which is furnished with catches;
the pinion is loose on the shaft ; which is supported in bearings in
the framing i; is the sliding part of the catch box, which fits on a
key fixed to the shaft, in the usual manner of making catch boxes;
s, is a lever, from which projects a fork for moving. the catch box ; this
lever is supported on the stud 's', and it is acted upon by the cam k¹, on
the cam shaft k. To the end of the shaft ; is fixed à spur pinion 23,
which is driven from the main driving shaft.t, by the pinion t!, and
carriers and t, as shewn in Figure 8. The back shaft 7 is driven by
the wheel j, in the following manner:-The wheel gives motion to the
carrier pinion u, gearing in the change wheel u; to this wheel. is fixed
a-pinion u, which gears..into the wheel on the back shaft. 7. on

page_text: which is fixed the drawing-out drum , in the usual manner. The speed
of the shaft can be varied by removing the wheel ul, and substituting
another with more or less teeth in it. The carriage is taken out by
the cord, which is wound on the drum 12, and attached to the
carriage in the ordinary manner, as shewn in Figure 7. The mode
of operation is as follows:-When the carriage is going out, and the
drawing rollers are in motion, the catch box 72 is in gear with the
catches on the back of the bevel pinion ; the requisite motion being
given to the shaft ', from the main driving shaft t, as above de-
scribed. The front drawing roller is carried round by the clicks
acting on the ratchet wheel j'. As soon as the carriage arrives at
the end of its stretch the cam shaft performs part of a revolution in the
usual manner, thereby causing the lever s to draw the catch box out
of gear, and stop the drawing rollers and back shaft. When the car
riage is going in the back shaft is carried round in the contrary direction
to that in which it revolves when the carriage is going out, as shewn
by the dotted arrow in Figure 1, and the wheel 7' then imparts motion to
the wheel j, also in the reverse direction to that of the drawing rollers;
the clicks j consequently pass over the teeth in the ratchet wheel j',
until the carriage is home. When the carriage is ready to commence
another stretch the cam brings the catch box r² again into gear, and
the operation is repeated as before. The other parts of the mule that
are not shewn in the Drawing are similar to those in general use, and
as they are well understood by persons conversant with spinning, they
do not require to be particularly referred to.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the details so long as the peculiar character of my Invention
be retained. But what. I do claim is, firstly, the improved balanced
pressers herein-before shewn and described with reference to the several
Figures on Sheet 1; secondly, I claim the link q, and levers n' and p',
shewn in Figures 7 and 9, when used as substitutes for the pinion and
toothed segment usually employed for connecting the faller shaft and
sector shaft of Roberts' self-acting mules; and, lastly, the improved
combination of parts for starting simultaneously the carriage and drawing

page_text: rollers of the machines for spinning, known as Roberts' self-acting
mules.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Elce, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named John Elce, in the
presence of
H. B. BARLOW,
Patent Agent,
JOHN ELCE. (L.S.)
Ducie Place, Manchester.