IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING AND Da Common MRD TIPPANTS SUBSTANCES " PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Prior Sharp, of the City of Man-
chester, Engineer, John Hill the younger, of the same place,
Manager, and William Martin, of the same place, Manager, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING AND
Da Common MRD TIPPANTS SUBSTANCES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Prior
Sharp, John Hill, and William Martin at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th September
1853.
We, WILLIAM PRIOR SHARP, of the City of Manchester, Engineer,
JOHN HILL the younger, of the same place, Manager, and WILLIAM
MARTIN, of the same place, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING AND
DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES " to be as follows:-
Our improvements consist, first, in an improved combination of
machinery for giving motion to the fallers and counter fallers of self-

page_text: acting mules and other machines of the like description.
Within the
carriage square is a shaft, which is made to perform nearly one revolu-
tion at every stretch by means of a rack fixed to the head stock, work-
ing in a pinion in the carriage square. Upon this shaft is fixed a
conical cam, which acts on a rod, the upper end of which is connected
to a slide which is in contact with the stud or bowl on the sector lever
on the faller shaft; to this sector lever is hinged the catch lever, the
catch projecting from which takes into a notch made in a smooth seg-
ment fixed on the faller shaft. The rod acted upon by the conical
cam is made to traverse from one end of the conical cam to the other,
in order that the motion given to the slide with which the rod is
connected may vary at each stretch according to the increasing size of
the cop. By the above arrangement the position of the fallers is
governed to form the cop, and the copping rails and parts in connection
therewith are dispensed with.
Secondly, in the application of a moveable piece to that end of the
ordinary copping rail which is near the delivering rollers; this moveable
piece is hinged to the copping rail at one end, and the other end rests
on a curved incline fixed to the shaper rail; consequently, when the
copping rail is moved in the ordinary manner towards the roller beam,
the end of the moveable piece before mentioned slides up the curved
incline, and thereby regulates the action of the fallers with greater
accuracy than heretofore.
Thirdly, in an improved combination of machinery whereby the
counter scroll band of self-acting mules is dispensed with, and the
groove of the spiral scroll by which the carriage is taken in is made
much narrower, as only one band is required, instead of two, as hereto-
fore. This machinery consists of a friction clip passing round the drawing
in catch box. When the carriage is going up the friction is off, and
the carriage is taken in by the scroll band in the ordinary manner, but
when the carriage is going out the friction clip is tightened by a lever
connected to the swing bearer of the drawing in catch box; conse-
quently the over-running of the scroll is checked in the same way as is
now effected by the counter scroll band.
And, lastly, in an improved combination of parts for driving the

page_text: drawing rollers of mules during the running in of the carriage. This
is accomplished by a bevel pinion on the quadrant pinion shaft giving
motion to a shaft which reaches to the front drawing roller, and which
has a bevel pinion at each end. To the front drawing roller is also fixed
a bevel pinion. The shaft reaching from the quadraut pinion shaft to
the front drawing rollers is supported near the drawing rollers by an
elbow lever, one end of which is acted upon by a tappet on the cam
shaft. This tappet throws the pinion on the front roller and the pinion
by which it is driven out of gear while the carriage is going out and
during the backing off, and into gear when the carriage is going in. By
this means the drawing rollers are made to revolve one or more times
during the going in, thereby increasing the length of yarn produced at
each stretch.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Prior Sharp, John Hill, and William
Martin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th March 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
WILLIAM PRIOR SHARP, of the City of Manchester, Engineer, JOHN
HILL the younger, of the same place, Manager, and WILLIAM MARTIN,
of the same place, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto us, the said William Prior Sharp, John Hill,
the younger, and William Martin, Her special licence that we, the
said William Prior Sharp, John Hill, the younger, and William Martin,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said William Prior Sharp, John Hill the younger, and William Martin,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no othors, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,

page_text: 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 POR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said William Prior Sharp, John Hill the younger, and William
Martin, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of either of us, 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 im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Prior Sharp, John
Hill the younger, and William Martin, 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 (that is to say):
Our Invention consists, first, in an improved combination of parts
applicable to self-acting mules and other machines of the like nature
for actuating the fallers to form the cops, whereby the copping rails
and shaper plates and other parts in connection therewith are dispensed
with. Secondly, in the application of a friction clip or break to check
the over-running of the going in scroll of self-acting mules and other
machines of the like nature, whereby the counter scroll band may be
dispensed with, and the groove of the scroll made narrower. Thirdly,
in the application of a moveable piece to the end of the ordinary
copping rail of self-acting mules and other machines of the like nature,
by the aid of which the action of the fallers can be regulated with
greater accuracy than heretofore. And, lastly, in an improved combi-
nation of parts for giving motion to the drawing rollers of mules and
other machines of the like nature during the running in of the
carriage.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, we will
proceed to describe the manner of performing the same, reference being
had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, represents a side elevation of a self-acting mule to which
part of our improvements are applied. Figure 2, is a plan view, and
Figure 3, an end elevation of the same.
The first part of our Invention, which has reference to the ma
chinery for actuating the fallers, is chiefly attached to the carriage
square marked a, in Figures 1, and 2. b, is the framing of the head-
stock; c, the drawing rollers; d, the spindles, supported in the car-
riage e; f, is the faller shaft, furnished with fallers f¹; an
counter faller shaft, furnished with counter fallers g'; 1, is the shaft
of the winding-on drum l'; and 13, the wheel which is driven by
the pinion on the shaft of the winding-on ratchet wheel m*.
These parts are constructed in the ordinary manner. The requisite
motions are given to the faller shafts by the conical cam h, to which
are cast pivots h', supported in the bearings a', of the carriage
square a. To one of the pivots h¹, is fixed a bevel wheel ², which
is driven by a pinion i, fixed to an upright shaft, to the lower ex-
tremity of which is fixed a spur wheel ", gearing into the rack, which
is secured to the framing b, or to the floor, as may be found most
convenient. When the carriage is running in, the cam h is put in
motion in the direction of the dotted arrow in Figure 1, by the wheels
and pinion above enumerated; and when the carriage is going out the
cam rotates in the contrary direction, as indicated by the full arrow.
To the bearings a¹, are cast projections a², for supporting the screwj;
to one end of this screw is fixed a ratchet wheel, which answers the
same purpose as the shaper wheel in mules of the ordinary construc-
tion. This ratchet wheel is put in motion by the lever h³, fixed to the
pivot h. This lever acts on the stud 1, which is fast to the lever j³,
loose on the end of the screw to this stud, is jointed the click j*.
The screw j, is furnished with a nut jo, to which is hinged the swivel
piece ; this swivel piece serves to support and guide the diagonal
rod k, the lower end of which is provided with a small bowl acted on
by the conical cam h; and the outer end of the rod k, swivels on a
fulcrum stud k¹, fixed above in a slot in the slide k², which is supported

page_text: and slides in the carrier, attached to the carriage square. The lower
end of the stud ¹, is guided in a slot in the bracket k*, also fixed to
the carriage square. Upon the faller shaft f, is the sector lever f³,
from which projects a stud f³. This sector lever and stud are similar
to those in mules of the ordinary construction, but in the present
instance the stud, instead of sliding in the copping rail, is acted upon
by the slide. To the sector lever f, is hinged the catch lever f',
the catch projecting from which takes into a notch in the smooth
segment f³, fixed to the faller shaft f. When the carriage is going
out the catch slides over the segment f³; but as soon as the car-
riage is ready to run in, the catch, being acted upon by the
spring f, drops into the notch in the segment, as in mules of
the ordinary construction. The faller shafts f, and g, are united
by a chain and levers, which are not shewn in the Drawing, as
they are common to mules in general use. The Drawing repre-
sents the various parts in the relative positions they occupy when
the carriage is running in, and when the bottom of the cop is nearly
or about completed. At the commencement of building a set of cops
the larger end of the conical cam h, acts upon the small bowl at the
end of the rod k, the position of which is shewn by the dotted line a
in Figure 2; consequently the cam in revolving gives the requisite
motion to the fallers to wind the yarn on to the lower part of the
spindles after every stretch the carriage in running in causes the
lever h³, to act on the stud j³, thereby raising the click j, and moving
the ratchet wheel j¹, and screw j, one tooth in the direction of the
arrow in Figure 1. By this means the nut j", and rod k, are moved
slightly towards the smaller end of the cam h, and at the next revolu-
tion of the said cam the motion imparted by it to the faller is made to
wind the yarn rather higher on the spindle. These motions are repeated
until the small bowl at the end of the rod k, has arrived near the
smaller end of the cam h, as shewn by the dotted line y, in Figure 2, at
which time the cops are completed. At the commencement of the
running in of the carriage that part of the cam h, marked h*, is in the
proper position for acting on the bowl at the end of the rod K, and at
the same time the faller f¹, is level with the nose of the cops. As the
i

page_text: cam begins to revolve that part of the cam h, between the points h*
and h, by acting on the rod K, causes the faller f to descend quickly,
thereby laying the yarn in what is called binding coils on the cop; but
as soon as the cam in rotating has got beyond the point h, the rod k
gradually approaches the centre of the cam ; and the stud f", being
held by the spring f and faller weights against the slide K³, causes
the faller to lay the yarn in regular coils on the cop until the carriage
is home; the catch in the lever f', is then liberated from the notch in
the segment f, by the stud f fixed in the lever f' coming in contact
with the incline f, fixed to the head stock, thereby disconnecting the
parts actuated by the cam and the fallers. And we would remark here
that, owing to the stud f radiating from the faller shaft f, as the cop is
being built, and thereby coming in contact after each stretch with
another part of the incline f, the catch is liberated from the seginent f*,
at varying times, thereby leaving unwound upon the cop only the
requisite length of yarn to be coiled round the bare part of the spindle
at the rising of the fallers f¹. By varying the shape of the incline f",
the time of unlatching can be regulated. After a set of cops has been
completed, and before a fresh sct is commenced, the spinnner, by
turning a handle fitted to the square end of the screw j, turns the
screw back until the small bowl at the end of the rod K, is again at the
larger end of the cam h.
The advantages of the improved machinery above described are,
that the shape of the cops is at all times uniform, and cannot be
altered, owing to the incompetence of the setter up or spinner; also
the shape of the cops is not affected by the variations in the level of
the flooring of the mill. Another great advantage is, that the copping
motion can be put together in the machine shop, thereby dispensing
with the labour and loss of time in putting the ordinary copping
motion in good working order in the mill.
We would remark here that various other-combinations of machinery
might be shewn for communicating the motion from the cam h, to
the fallers; for instance, the rod k, instead of sliding and vibrating,
might be made to slide only, and lateral motion might be given to
the cam ; or the cam h, might be placed in front of the carriage,

page_text: and act direct on a rod connected with an arm attached to the faller
shaft f; but the combination shewn in the Drawing is found in practise
to give good results.
The second part of our Invention, which relates to dispensing with the
counter scroll band, is shewn in Figs. 1, and 3. m, is the scroll shaft;
m, the scroll, which is similar to those in general use, with this excep-
tion, that the groove in it is much narrower than usual. `m², is a friction
pulley fixed to the scroll shaft. n, is the drawing-in bevel wheel; n',
the drawing-in catch box; and o, the the swing bearer by which
it is moved to and fro on the shaft m, in the usual manner by
the camp, on the cam shaft p¹. To the swing bearer o, is fixed the
break clip o¹, which is lined with leather or other yielding material,
and fits the friction pulley m². As the carriage is now supposed to be
going in the friction clip o¹ is not in contact with the pulley m², but
when the carriage is going out the swing bearer o moves the drawing
in catch box n³, out of gear, and at the same time tightens the break
clip o¹, on to the friction pulley m², thereby checking the over-running
of the scroll m', in the same way as is commonly effected by the
counter scroll band. By this means the scroll itself may be made
lighter as the grooves in it only require to be wide enough for the scroll
band, and the counter scroll band and guide pulleys over which it is
conducted are dispensed with. The same effect may also be produced
by a friction clip passing round the drawing-in catch box, and causing
the swing bearer o, to tighten the clip when the carriage is running in.
This friction clip or break may also be applied to the long going in
shaft, which imparts motion to the scroll shaft.
The third part of our Invention, which has reference to the copping
rail, is represented in Figures 4, and 5, the former being a side elevation,
and the latter a plan of part of a copping motion of the ordinary con-
struction to which our improvements are applied. p², is part of the cop-
ping rail; q, is part of the shaper rail; r, one of the shaper plates; and
c, the drawing rollers, which are only introduced to shew the relative
positions of the other pieces. s, is a curved inclined piece hinged to the
end of the copping rail p². s², is a stud projecting from the pieces,
bearing upon the plate s², which is fast to the shaper rail q. When the

page_text: copping rail advances in the usual manner towards the drawing rollers
the stud s, gradually slides up the inclined plate s², thereby causing the
curved inclined piece s, to assume the position indicated by dots in
Figure 4; consequently, when the stud on the sector lever arrives on
the piece s, the motion communicated to the fallers varies at each
successive stretch, instead of remaining at all times the same, as is now
the case when the incline is made on the copping rail itself, thereby
regulating with greater accuracy the coiling of the yarn on the bare
spindles.
The fourth and last part of our Invention, which has reference to
giving motion to the drawing rollers of mules and other machines of
the like nature during the running in of the carriage, is represented on
Sheet 2, of the annexed Drawings. We would, however, remark here,
that we are aware that the same effect has before been produced by
different means. Figure 6, is side elevation of the frame of a mule
headstock to which our improvements are applied. Figure 7, is a plan,
and Figure 8, an end view of the same. b, is the framing; c, the draw-
ing rollers; p', the cam shaft; and, the quadrant pinion shaft, to which
is fixed a bevel pinion z¹, gearing into the pinion 22, on the shaft z'. At
the other end of this shaft is another pinion, gearing into the pinion c¹,
on the front drawing roller. This pinion is furnished with a catch box,
and it is loose on the front drawing roller. c², is a sliding catch box,
which is occasionally brought into gear with the catch box on the
pinion c, as will be explained hereafter. In Figure 8, c³ is a forked
lever, by which the catch box c², is moved to and fro; this lever c³, is
connected by means of the link c, to the double lever p', which is
common to mules of this description, and which serves to put the front
roller catch box c', into gear with the catch box on the pinion c, by
which the drawing rollers receive their motion in the usual manner.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The carriage is now supposed to
be going out; consequently the front roller catch box c³, is in gear with
the catch box on the pinion c, and the drawing rollers are revolving,
but as soon as the carriage is at the end of its stretch, and the operations
of spinning and backing off are completed, the cam shaft p¹ is turned
partly round, thereby moving the double lever p', which then draws

page_text: the front roller catch box c', out of gear, and at the same tinie puts the
catch box c, into gear; consequently the motion of the quadrant shaft =,
is communicated to the front drawing roller by the pinions 21, 3,
shaft, pinions and c', before described; by this means the front
drawing roller is made to revolve one or more times during the running
in of the carriage, thereby increasing the length of yarn produced at
each stretch, and preventing snarls.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, we declare that we claim as of our Invention,
first, the application to self-acting mules, and to other machines of the
like nature, of the conical cam marked h, in Figures 1, and 2, and the
parts in combination therewith, as substitutes for the ordinary copping
motions. Secondly, the application of a friction break to check the
over-running of the going in scroll, and to regulate the tension of the
scroll band, thereby dispensing with the counter scroll band and other
parts connected with it. Thirdly, the application of the moveable
curved inclined pieces, and plate s", to the ordinary copping motion
of self-acting mules. And, lastly, the improved combination of parts
for driving the drawing rollers during the running in of the carriage, as
shewn in Figures 6, 7, and 8.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Prior Sharp, John Hill
the younger, and William Martin, have hereunto set our hands
and seals, this Twenty-fifth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
P. SHART.
JOHN HILL jun.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
WILLIAM MARTIN. (L.S.)