IMPROVE- MENTS IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE MACHINERY USED IN SPINNING COTTON, WOOL OR SILK
Year: 1824

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HEATHCOAT, of Tiverton, in the County of Devon, Lace Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twentieth day of March, in the fifth year of His reign, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Heathcoat, my exors, admors, and assigns, His special licence that I, the
said John Heathcoat, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Heathcoat, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein specified, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also within
all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE MACHINERY USED IN SPINNING COTTON, WOOL,
OR SILK;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said John Heathcoat, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Heathcoat, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described and ascertained
by the following description thereof, and by the three Sheets of Drawings
hereunto annexed.
My Invention appertains to those parts of the machinery for the roving,
twisting, and spinning cotton, wool, or silk, which are called stretching
frames, mules, and jennies. In these machines the fibres of cotton, wool,
and silk are twisted or spun into rovings or threads by the rotative motion of
the spindles without bobbins or flyers, and as fast as the threads and rovings
are formed, the frame or carriage in which the spindles are placed withdraws
or retreats from the rollers which supply the fibres of cotton, wool, or silk, so
as to extend the roving or threads as fast as they are produced; but when a
certain portion or length (called the stretch) of each roving or thread is
twisted or spun, the further twisting or spinning must be discontinued whilst
the finished portion or stretch is wound round the spindles in form of balls or
cops, therefore the operation of roving and spinning by such machinery is not
perpetual, but must be suspended between every stretch whilst the portions
which are already twisted or spun are wound upon the spindle. As the
machines called stretching frames, mules, and jennys, are well known and
understood, it is unnecessary to give a further description of them. In the
machinery hereafter described, which effects the winding up of the rovings or
threads in balls or cops without any assistance or guidance from the spinner,
there are three separate or distinct parts or movements which are requisite to
perform that operation of the self-acting mule, and which are called,-first,
the backing off, or giving a reverse motion to the spindles, to uncoil the thread
on the top of the spindles before the winding of the roving or thread into the
form of a cop commences; second, the winding or giving a proper speed to
the carriage and spindle in winding the roving or thread upon the spindle;
and, thirdly, the copping motion, which guides the roving or thread to its
proper place on the spindles to form the balls or cops required. The parts of the
machinery above named are each connected one with the other, so as to
perform that part of the operation which is usually done by the hand of the
spinner.
Description of the Backing-off, Sheet 1.-On the boss of the loose pulley of
the common mule is a pulley 1, which gives motion to a pulley 2, which runs
loose on a shaft 3; on the other end of the shaft is a pulley 8, which gives
motion to the spindles by means of the band 9 working the pulley 10 on the
axis of the counter pulley of the common mule. Affixed to the pulley 2 is a

page_text: clutch 45, which, when thrown into gear, moves the pulley on the shaft 3, so
that the pulley turns the shaft. On the shaft 8 is a ratchet box 4, so con-
structed that the shaft 3 will turn round in one direction without the ratchet
box, but turning the other way, by means of a clutch acting in a ratchet wheel,
the ratchet box is obliged to turn with the shaft. On the side of the ratchet
box is a pin 5, which strikes on the stem 6, and by the bent lever 7 throws
the clutch out of gear with the pulley 2, consequently, the pulley 2 turns
round without turning the shaft, and the backing-off ceases. The quantity of
backing-off, which is less each stretch, is regulated in the following manner :-
The worm 11 is fixed on the axis of the twist shaft of the common mule,
which worm works a worm wheel 12 on a small axis 13, on which is a spiral 14;
this spiral acts on a rod 15, at the other end of which is fixed a rack 16, which
works into a wheel 17 working loose on the shaft 3, so that the wheel does
not turn with the shaft, but is turned slowly round on the shaft by the spiral 14.
Affixed to the wheel 17 is a pin 18, which serves for a stop for the pin 5, but
each stretch, as the wheel 17 turns round slowly, the pin 18 becomes nearer to
the stem 6, consequently the pin 5 has less space to move through before it
strikes the stem 6, and therefore it backs off less each stretch. When the
backing-off is finished, the stem 6 strikes the bent lever 7, and by the rod or
wire O pulls the lever H, and throws into gear the pinion L and the pinion I,
to commence the winding.
Description of the Winding.-A represents a figure or core of paper,
cork, or any other light material suitable for this purpose, which is placed or
put upon the spindles before the operation of spining or twisting commences,
and which paper or cork core or figure is so placed for the purpose or
beginning to wind the cop or ball on this figure, instead of winding upon the
bare spindle. The running in the carriage or mule at a variable speed is
performed by means of an eccentric pulley B, which receives its motion in the
following manner:-On the boss of the loose pulley of the common mule is a
pulley D, which by a strap E gives motion to a pulley F, running loose on a
shaft at the end of the frame, and has a clutch by which means it can be fixed
or disengaged with the shaft G, by means of the lever H. On the end of the
shaft G is a pinion I, which works into the wheel K on the axis of the
eccentric pulley B. The rotary motion of the spindles must be invariable
during the whole operation of forming the cop, and which is accomplished in
the following manner :-The wheel K is fixed on the axis of the eccentric pulley
B, and on the lever H is a pinion L, which can be thrown in and out of geer.
When the pinion L is thrown into geer with the wheel K, it also falls into geer
with the wheel M, which is fixed on the axis of the carrying pulley of the common

page_text: mule for the drum band to work the spindles, and consequently gives motion
to the spindles. The annexed Drawing (Sheet No. 1) represents the carriage
returned half in towards the rollers, the band or strap C traversing on the larger
side of the eccentric B, consequently the carriage will be drawn in at a much
greater speed than when the band or strap traverses on the smaller side of the
eccentric, which will be the case when the carriage is first moved in, and also
when the carriage is moved home up to the rollers to complete the winding of
one stretch. When the carriage is running at the greatest speed, the thread or
roving must be wound on the largest diameter of the core or figure A, and at
the slowest speed when the winding is at the smallest diameter. The carriage
being drawn in by means of the eccentric B, so as to just wind the yarn or
roving tight on the paper or cork cone or figure, and which eccentric is so
calculated as to draw in the carriage slow at the begining, when the faller
wire places the yarn at the top of the cop, and which figure increases the
speed of the carriage until the faller wire arrives at the largest diameter of the
cop, and then continues to decrease in speed as the faller wire rises up to
the top of the cop, and the carriage arrives up to the rollers, which completes
the winding of one stretch. The cop V is complete, ready to be doffed or
taken from the spindle. The dotted lines h, h, shew the core or figure as
placed upon the spindle, with the yarn or thread wound upon it into the form
of a full or finished cop.
Description for putting down the Faller, and of Copping.-On the backing-
off shaft 3 is a cam 19, which moves the double lever 20, and the motion
of this lever moves the lever 21, which is on the faller axis, and latches
the lever 22 into the latch 28%; the faller then is in a proper position to
commence the operation of copping, or laying the thread on the paper cone or
figure A, marked on the spindle, beginning at the top of the cone and
descending to the bottom, and afterwards rising up again to the top of the said
cone, the operation of which is performed in the following manner:-On the
axis of the carriage wheel, at the back of the carriage, is a bevil wheel 24
which works into another 25 on the shaft. 26. On the same shaft is a mitre
wheel 27 working into another wheel 28. On the shaft 29 is a broad wheel 30
working into the rack. 31 (shewn in Figure 2 and Sheet 2), on which is a
double inclined plane 81; this inclined plane, by the motion of the above-
named wheels, moves endways whilst the carriage runs up. The motion of
the inclined plane raising and falling the slide 32, by means of a truck 46, on
the said slide, resting on the inclined plane, and the slide 32 carrying the
latch 23, and the lever 22 being in the latch, as aforesaid, of course will give
the necessary movement to the faller wire for the proper distribution of the

page_text: threads upon the paper or cork core to form the cop. On the latch 23 is
a rod 33 passing through the carriage, which, when the carriage is run up,
strikes on the inclined plane 34, and unlatches the lever 22 on the faller axis,
and lets the faller rise up, which completes the operation of copping for one
stretch, and which operation takes place for every succeeding stretch till the
cop is completed, except with the following additions to the movements which
are necessary to form the cylindrical part of the cop, that is to say:―The
ratchet wheel 35 is moved one tooth every stretch by the lever and two claws
36. On the same axis on which is placed the wheel 35 is a worm 37 working
into a wheel 38 on the shaft 89, carrying the wheel 40 on the other end,
which works into a rack 41, carrying two inclined planes 41; on those inclined
planes there are two slides 42, which carry the rack and double inclined
plane 81. The motion of the two inclined planes 41 lets the inclined plane 81
descend a small portion every stretch, and consequently lays the thread higher
upon the spindle every stretch until the cop is finished.
Sheet 3 is a full size Drawing, shewing the form of the eccentric pulley B.
I claim only as my Invention the core or conical form of paper, cork, or
other proper material, which is placed upon the spindle, and on which the
roving or yarn is wound, as shewn in the cop V, Figure 1, and the eccentric
pulley B, which draws in the carriage at a variable speed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Heathcoat, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.