IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Curtis, of the Firm of Messieurs Curtis, Sons,
and Company, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker,
and William Henry Rhodes, of the same Place, Foreman, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Curtis and William
Henry Rhodes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th
November, 1880.
RICHARD CURTIS, of the Firm of Messieurs Curtis, Sons, and Company, of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and WILLIAM HENRY
RHODES, of the same Place, Foreman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
This Invention consists in certain improvements for imparting variations in the
speed of the bobbins of slubbing, intermediate, roving, and jack frames.
In applying our Invention to a roving frame we place a shaft near to and parallel
with the driving shaft; at one end of this shaft we fix a spur wheel which gears
into the ordinary large carrier wheel, and at the other end of this shaft we fix a
flanged plate on which is formed a bearing in which is a short shaft parallel to the
shaft on which the plate is fixed. On either end of this short shaft is fixed a small
pinion (one at each side of the plate), the outer pinion gearing into a small pinion
which receives motion by suitable gearing through a worm with a varying pitch
driven from the rack shaft or otherwise, and the inner pinion on the short shaft
gearing into an internal wheel loose on the shaft on which the plate is fixed;
attached to and revolving with this internal wheel is a hollow spur wheel which
gears into the ordinary wheel for imparting motion to the bobbins. The hollow spur
wheel is pressed by a spring on to a "helper" friction pulley keyed on to the shaft.
on which the internal wheel revolves.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard Curtis and William Henry Rhodes in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 6th May 1881.
RICHARD CURTIS, of the Firm of Messieurs Curtis, Sons, and Company, of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and WILLIAM HENRY
RHODES, of the same Place, Foreman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY For
PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
This Invention consists in certain improvements for imparting variations in the
speed of the bobbins of slubbing, intermediate, roving, and jack frames.
In applying our Invention to a roving frame we place a shaft near to and parallel
with the driving shaft; at one end of this shaft we fix a spur wheel which gears
into the ordinary large carrier wheel, and at the other end of this shaft we fix a
flanged plate on which is formed a bearing in which is a short shaft parallel to the
shaft on which the plate is fixed. On either end of this short shaft is fixed a small
pinion (one at each side of the plate), the outer pinion gearing into a small pinion
which receives motion by suitable gearing through a worm with a varying pitch
driven from the rack shaft or otherwise, and the inner pinion on the short shaft
gearing into an internal wheel loose on the shaft on which the plate is fixed;
attached to and revolving with this internal wheel is a hollow spur wheel which
gears into the ordinary wheel for imparting motion to the bobbins. The hollow spur
wheel is pressed by a spring on to a "helper" friction pulley keyed on to the shaft
on which the internal wheel revolves.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect we will describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, reference
being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a section of our improved apparatus for transmitting the
variable speed to the bobbins; and on Sheet 2, Fig. 2 is an end elevation, and
Figs. 3 and 4 are back elevations of part of a roving frame to which our Invention
is applied. Similar letters refer to similar parts in the different views. a is the
driving shaft, parallel to which, in suitable bearings, is fitted the shaft b (shown full
size on Fig. 1); b¹ is a flanged circular disk fixed on the shaft b; 62 is a short shaft
which turns in a bearing cast on the disk b¹; fixed on 62 are two small spur wheels
6s and b, one at each side of the disk b'; gearing into 6 is a small pinion e fixed on
the end of the shaft c¹ which rotates in the same direction as the shaft b, driven at
a variable speed by friction pulleys, cones, or otherwise. The pinion c forms a
bearing for one end of the shaft b; the spur wheel 6 gears into an internally
toothed wheel a loose on the shaft b; d' is a spur wheel loose on the shaft b, and
a flange cast with d' is connected to a flange cast with d by set screws passing
through slots in the latter; d² is a "helper" friction pulley fixed on the shaft b, on
to which is pressed by a spring d³; as is the ordinary carrier wheel loose on the
shaft a, through which motion is communicated to the bobbins by the wheel d¹;
6 is a guard which covers the gears 63 and c; be is a bearing for the shaft b. On
Sheet 2, Fig. 3 shows one method of imparting the varying speed to our improved
transmitting apparatus, and to the lift from the cone shaft e. We dispense with
the cones, and drive by the spur wheels e and e³ and bevil wheels h³ a friction
disc h' on the shaft h which drives the friction pulleys ¹ and k¹, which are traversed
nearer to and further from the centre of the disk h¹ by the guide bar m, which is
caused to slide by the worm n with a varying pitch, taking into a nut on the bar o
actuated from the rack shaft. The friction pulley i communicates motion to the
lift by the spur wheels 2 and i³, and the bevil wheels f³, which transmit the motion
to the lifting rail in the usual manner. The friction disc h' also drives the friction

page_text: pulley.k on the shaft k, which communicates motion by the spur wheel k², gearing
into the spur wheel ³ fixed on the shaft k, and the bevil wheels k³ and ks, to the
shaft c¹. At the other end of the shaft c' is the small pinion c, shown on Fig. 1; the
shaft bis driven at a uniform speed, and the shaft c¹ is driven in the same direction at
a much slower speed, which is gradually increased as the friction pulley ki is traversed
by the guide bar m further from the centre of the friction disc h. As the speed of c' is
increased the pinion c causes the pinion 63 to rotate at a slower speed as it revolves
with the disc 'round the shaft b, thus causing the pinion 6* to drive the internally
toothed wheel d and with it the spur wheel d¹ at a reduced speed, and by this means a
decreasing speed is communicated to the bobbins during the process of winding.
Fig. 4 shows another method of imparting the varying speed to the winding and
the lift; e is the ordinary cone shaft driven from the driving shaft by gears a*, a³,
and es. We fix two cones e¹ and e² on the shaft e, and they drive by straps the
cone f¹ on the shaft f, and the cone g₁ on the shaft g. The lift is driven from the
shaft by the spur wheels f' and bevil wheels fs which transmit the motion to
the lifting rail in the usual manner, the speed being gradually diminished as the
strap on the cone f¹ is traversed from the smallest to the largest diameter. We
communicate the variable speed for the winding from the shaft g by a pair of spur
wheels g, on one of which is cast a bevil wheel 93 gearing into a bevil wheel 9*
fixed on a diagonal shaft gs, on which is also keyed a bevil wheel go which gears
into a bevil wheel c³ fixed on the shaft c'. At the other end of the shaft c¹ is the
small pinion c shown on Fig. 1. The shaft 6 is driven at a uniform speed, and
the shaft c is driven in the same direction at a much slower speed, which is
gradually increased as the strap on the cone g¹ is traversed from the largest to the
smallest diameter. As the speed of c¹ is increased the pinion c causes the pinion 6³
to rotate at a slower speed, and by this means a decreasing speed is communicated
to the bobbins, as before described, during the process of winding. By the use of
our Invention we avoid all undue friction in transmitting the variable speed to the
bobbins, as the shaft b and the gears mounted on it, and the pinion c on the shaft c'
all turn in the same direction; we are also enabled to drive the lift and the winding
independently of each other.
Having stated the nature of our Invention and described how the same is to be
performed, we would have it understood that we do not limit ourselves to the exact
details herein described or delineated, but what we claim is,-
The improved combination of parts for transmitting a varying speed to the
bobbins, arranged and actuated substantially in the manner shown and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Curtis and William Henry Rhodes,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifth day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.