IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WINDING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OR MATERIALS, WHEN IN THE FORM OF THREAD OR YARN, ON TO THE BOBBINS OR WHEELS USED IN LACE MACHINERY
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John May Miller, of Barnstaple, in the County of
Devon, Lace Manufacturer, and John Fear, of the same Place,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
WINDING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OR MATERIALS, WHEN IN THE FORM OF
THREAD OR YARN, ON TO THE BOBBINS OR WHEELS USED IN LACE MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John May Miller and
John Fear at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 18th November 1858.
We, JOHN MAY MILLER, of Barnstaple, in the County of Devon, Lace
Manufacturer, and JOHN FEAR, of the same Place, Machinist, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR WINDING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OR MATERIALS, WHEN IN THE FORM OF THREAD
OR YARN, ON TO THE BOBBINS OR WHEELS USED IN LACE MACHINERY," to be as
follows:-
The object of this arrangement of apparatus is to enable a number of
independent bobbins or wheels to be wound at a time under the super-
intendence of one person, and so that each may be equally filled, the threads
or yarns kept steady and readily cut, and the reel prevented from overrunning.
For this purpose we employ a revolving knife for cutting off the silk or
other material at the proper time, and we prevent overrunning by effecting

page_text: the stoppage of the reel by pressure on the reel itself, when the thread or
yarn is cut or broken, and we keep the thread or yarn in a constant state
of tension, and steady it and prevent vibration by means of a peculiar
contrivance.
We mount in a suitable framework a spindle for holding the bobbin, caused
to revolve in any suitable manner, and having fitted to it at top a cap for
carrying the bobbin. Under the cap a cutting blade turned upward is
adjustably attached to the spindle, so as to revolve with it, and a plate is
fixed in the frame over the blade, having an opening in it for the spindle to
pass through, and a piece or plate (preferably of steel) inserted into it at one
part (being cut away for the purpose), and a slot or opening is provided, so
placed that the thread or yarn may reach the blade on dropping through it.
The reel holding the thread or yarn to be wound is bushed top and bottom,
and is set on a pin or axis over a cup or bed, but rests at bottom on the end
of a spring, connected adjustably to the frame, and which keeps it, when
revolving, away from the cup. The top of the reel axis is wormed, and a nut
or threaded cap is screwed thereon, having attached to it a tension guide,
consisting of a bent wire (or wire extending above the reel brought down at
right angles beside it, and preferably looped or bent upward), so placed that
the fibrous material on leaving the reel may pass against the wire, or through
the loop or bend. The nut or cap is connected to one end of an arm or lever
fixed on the frame, and carrying a moveable weight.
The thread or yarn in passing from the reel to the bobbin is conducted
under a weighted guide, covered on its under surface with lambskin having
the hair outward, or similar material, to prevent the end from flying back
beyond that part when the thread or yarn is cut or broken; and adjustable
guides are also fitted between the reel and bobbin spindle, through which
the fibrous material passes, and by which also the angle at which it is cut
may be varied.
The bobbin having been set on its cap with a weight over it to cause it to
turn with the spindle, and rotary motion being imparted to the spindle, the
thread or yarn is delivered off its reel through or against the bent wire, which
keeps it in a state of tension, and prevents its vibrating through the guides
on to the steel portion of the plate over the revolving knife; and as the
bobbin is filling from its increasing size, the thread or yarn being wound on
is gradually drawn towards the slot; through which it drops on to the knife
when the bobbin is full, and is immediately cut. The tension being thus
removed from the bent wire, the latter falls back, and the action being assisted
by the pressure of the weighted lever, which overcomes the resistance of the

page_text: spring below, the reel is brought "taut," or pressed between the nut at top
and the cup at bottom, and its motion is thereby stopped, and all over-running
prevented. The same effect would be produced if the thread or yarn were to
break.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John May Miller and John Fear in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
MAY MILLER, of Barnstaple, in the County of Devon, Lace Manufacturer,
and JOHN FEAR, of the same Place, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said John May Miller and John Fear, Her special licence that we,
the said John May Miller and John Fear, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said John May Miller and John
Fear, our 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 WINDING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OR MATERIALS, WHEN IN THE FORM
OP THREAD OR YARN, ON TO THE BOBBINS OR WHEELS USED IN LACE MACHINERY,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John May Miller and
John Fear, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 we, the said John May Miller and John Fear, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-

page_text: This Invention relates to apparatus or machinery for winding threads or
yarns of silk or other fibrous material on to the "bobbius" or "wheels" used
in lace machinery. The object of our improved arrangement of apparatus is
to enable a number of bobbins or "wheels" to be wound at one time indepen-
dently of each other, under the superintendence of one person, in such manner
that each may be equally filled, that the thread or yarn may be kept steady
while being wound on, and be readily cut, and that the reel may be prevented
from overrunning.
In our improved machinery we employ a revolving knife for cutting the
thread or yarn at the proper time. We prevent overrunning by effecting the
stoppage of the reel by means of pressure on the reel itself when the thread
or yarn is cut or broken, and we keep the thread or yarn in a constant state
of tension, steady it and prevent vibration by means of a peculiar contrivance
for the purpose.
We mount in a suitable framework a spindle for holding the bobbin, caused
to revolve by any convenient means, and having fitted to it at top a cap for
carrying the bobbin. Under the cap a cutting blade or knife turned upward
is adjustably attached to the spindle, so as to revolve with it; a plate is fixed
in the framework over the blade, having an opening in it for the spindle to
pass through, and a plate or piece, preferably of steel, inserted into it at one
part (it being cut away for the purpose). A slot or opening is provided, so
situated that the thread or yarn on dropping through it may reach the blade,
as presently to be described. The reel supplied with the thread or yarn to
be wound off is bushed top and bottom, and is set on a pin or axis over a cup
or bed, but rests at bottom on the end of a spring, which is connected
adjustably to the framework, and keeps the reel (when revolving) away from
the cup. The top of the reel axis is wormed, and a nut or cap is screwed
thereon, having attached to it a tension guide, consisting of a bent wire (or
wire extending above the reel, brought down at right angles beside it, and
preferably looped or bent. upward,) so placed that the fibrous material on
leaving the reel may pass against the wire or through the loop or bend. The
nut or cap is connected to one end of an arm or lever fixed on the frame,
and carrying a weight.
The thread or yarn in passing from the reel to the bobbin is conducted under
a weighted guide covered on its under surface with lambs' skin having the
hair outward (or other similar material), to prevent the end from flying back
beyond that part when the thread or yarn is cut or broken, and adjustable
guides are also fitted between the reel and bobbin spindle, through which the
fibrous material passes, and by which also the angle at which it is to be cut.

page_text: may be regulated. The bobbin having been set on its cap, with a weight over
it to cause it to turn with the spindle, and rotary motion being imparted to the
spindle, the thread or yarn will be delivered off its reel through or against
the bent wire, which keeps it in a state of tension and prevents it from
vibrating through the guides on to the steel portion of the plate over the
revolving knife; and as the bobbin' fills, it follows that from its increasing size
the thread or yarn (being wound on) will be gradually drawn towards the slot,
and as soon as the bobbin is full, will drop through the slot on to the knife,
and will be immediately cut; tension being thus removed from the bent wire,
the latter falls back, and the action being assisted by the pressure of the
weighted lever, which overcomes the resistance of the spring below the reel,
will be brought "taut," or "pressed between the nut at top and the cup at
bottom, and its motion will be thereby stopped, and all overrunning prevented..
The same effect would be produced if the thread were to break.
The accompanying Drawings particularly exemplify our Invention, and in
what manner the same may be carried into effect. Figure 1 is a perspective
view, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 a longitudinal section of a winding
machine constructed according to our improvements; Figure 4 is a vertical
section, on an enlarged scale, of the bobbin shaft end..
A, A, is the framework, which may be constructed somewhat similarly to
that of a yarn doubling machine; B is a spindle, stepped at a at one end of
the framework, and revolving in a long bush 6, a collar b¹ preventing it from
rising; this spindle B is intended to carry the bobbin on which the thread or
yarn is to be wound; on this spindle B is a whorve or pulley c, round which
passes a driving strap C, passing also over a drum or pulley D on a shaft d,
caused to revolve from a steam engine or other prime mover, by which means
rapid rotary motion may be communicated to the spindle. E is a knife or
cutting blade,' fitted by screw and nut e to the spindle B, so as to revolve with
it, and having the cutting part turned upward, as shown. On the spindle B,
a little over the nut e, is a cap f, on which is set the bobbin or "wheel". g, on.
which the thread or yarn is to be wound. This description of bobbin, or, as it.
is sometimes called "wheel," is commonly used in lace machinery, and is.
generally formed of brass, and of a round flat shape. H is a metal plate,
fitted in the framework over the cap f, and suitably cut away for the top of
the spindle to pass through, and dished out for convenience of getting at the
bobbin when necessary to remove it. This plate H has a space cut away from.
it at one part, viz., where the thread has to pass in order to reach the bobbin,
and this space is partially filled up by a small plate h, preferably of steel, of.
such size as to leave between one of its edges and the opposite edge of the

page_text: plate H a slot or opening i, in such a situation that the thread on droppin
through this slot, as presently to be described, may reach the blade E; thi
plate h may most conveniently be attached to a bracket or carrier h¹, screwe
to a bar h², fitted adjustably in the framework. At the opposite end of th
framework are placed the arrangements for holding the reel, from off whic
the thread or yarn is to be wound. J is a bar, fixed to the frame, an
carrying a pin or spindle j, serving as an axis for the reel K, supplied with the
silk or other material to be wound off; M is a dish or cup fixed on the
framework under the reel, and of such a size as to be capable of receiving
the lower surface of the latter when allowed to drop on it; m is a spring o
steel band, connected at one end to the frame by a nut and screw m¹, whereby
its position may be adjusted as desired, while at the other end it is formed
into a collar or flat ring n, which embraces the axis j, and forms a support for
the bottom of the reel. The top of the axis j is somewhat coarsely screw-
threaded, and on it is placed a nut or cap o, threaded on the inside. P is the
"tension guide," consisting of a wire, attached at one end to the cap o
extending over and a little beyond the edge of the top of the reel, and bent
down at right angles parallel to the reel axis, and looped or hooked up parallel,
as shewn; this guide wire is in such a position that the thread in unwinding
from the reel K must necessarily pass through and against it. (The end of
the wire need not be looped up, but the form shown is preferred.) Q is an
arm or lever, centered on a cross-bar 9 of the frame, and connected to the
nut o by a rod r and cord r¹, or otherwise; this arm Q carries a weight R,
held on by an adjusting screws, whereby it may be brought nearer to or
farther from the fulcrum 2, and thereby regulate the pressure on the cap o, as
desired. Instead of a weight R, a spring may be used, but we prefer the
arrangement represented. t1, t2, are glass rods or guides, fixed to the bracket h¹,
which carries the plate h; they are so placed that the thread x, in proceeding
from the reel K to the bobbin g, must necessarily pass under t¹ and against t²,
a little below the plate H, and thus be brought on to the plate at an angle
dependant on their positions, so that by regulating the position of their
bracket h¹, the angle at which the thread will drop through to be cut may be
varied according to the size of bobbin. u is a weighted cap, covered on its
under surface with lambskin (having the hair outwards), and resting on a
pedestal u², covered on its top surface with lambskin; under this cap u the 3
thread passes in its way from the wire P.to the guides t¹, t, and when it is
cut or broken, its end is prevented by these means from flying back beyond
this appliance.
L
The mode of using our improved winding machinery is as follows:-The

page_text: reel K supplied with the thread. or yarn to be unwound is set on its axis j,
and allowed to rest at bottom on the collar n, which tends to keep it off the
dish M. The bobbin g to be filled is placed on its cap f on the spindle B, and
one end of the silk or other fibrous material is conducted from the reel
through the guide P, under the cap u, under rod t¹, against rod t², and tied on
to the remainder of the thread or yarn left on the bobbin g, over which a
weight w, Fig. 1, is then placed, to cause it to revolve with the spindle. The
parts being properly adjusted, rapid rotary motion is communicated to the
spindle B from the driving pulley D, and the thread a will thus be delivered
rapidly off the reel K, (which will, of course, turn round swiftly,) and will
pass through the tension guide P, which being connected to the weighted
cap o, will hold the thread of fibrous material steady, and in a proper state of
tension, and prevent it from vibrating or slackening, and should the reel over-
run, will stop it. Thence the thread will pass under the guide u, under
guide t¹, against guide t², and so on to the plate h, and over it to the bobbin g,
on to which it will be rapidly wound. The position of the weight R, and
hence its pressure on the nut o, may be so regulated, as to cause the nut to
exert a certain pressure on the reel while revolving, not sufficiently to stop it,
but sufficiently to press down the spring m, and cause the reel K to come in
contact with the dish M, thus occasioning considerable friction of the reel on
the dish, and thereby holding the thread or yarn in a state of suitable tension,
and only allowing as much to be delivered off the reel as the bobbin will take
up, and so preventing overrunning. Now, as the bobbin g becomes filled, the
thread or yarn as it passes over the plate h will be gradually drawn nearer
and nearer to the slot i, until when the desired quantity has been wound on,
the thread will arrive at and drop through the slot i, and come on to the
knife E, which will immediately cut it. As the position of the guides t¹, t²;
regulates the angle and time at which the thread will drop through the slot to
be cut by the knife, it follows that their position will regulate the quantity of
thread to be wound on, and it must therefore be adjusted according to the
quantity desired, which may readily be done by shifting the carrier or
bracket h', which will also shift the plate h to correspond. As the thread,
while being wound off the reel K, passes through the tension guide P, it has
the effect of holding this guide in a forward or outward position, that is to
say, in such a position as to keep the cap or nut o on the pin j, while pre-
venting it from turning in the tightening direction of its screw, and con-
sequently from pressing too much on the top of the reel, but almost
immediately on the thread being cut by the blade E, as described, and
consequently ceasing to bear against the wire P, the latter will no longer

page_text: be held in its position of tension, but will fly back, while the cap or nut
will, by the momentum of the reel, and still more by the pressure of th
weight R, be carried round on the axis j in the tightening direction, until i
presses firmly against the top of the reel, and the pressure of the weight l
entirely overcoming the resistance of the spring m, the latter will wholly yield
or be completely depressed, and thus the reel K will be tightly pressed o
jammed between the weighted nut o at top, and the dish M fixed to the
framework below, and its rotation will be immediately stopped. If also the
thread or yarn while being delivered from reel to bobbin were to overrun or
to break off accidentally, the self-acting reel stopping arrangement would
operate in like manner, the tension from the guide P being removed by the
breakage or slackening of the thread, and the reel would be immediately
brought "taut" between cap o and dish M. By these means the overrunning
of the reel and the entanglement and waste of fibrous material would be
prevented.
A number of such winding apparatuses as represented in the Drawing may
be combined in a general framework, each spindle B carrying a bobbin g, and
receiving threads or yarns from a reel K, so that a very considerable number
of bobbins may be filled at the same time under the superintendence of a
single attendant, the self-acting knife cutting at the proper moment, so as to
secure the equal filling of each bobbin; the threads while being wound on
will all be kept steady and free from slack and vibration, while immediately.
that the thread is cut or broken, or becomes slackened, the self-acting
arrangement at the further end of the frame will almost instantaneously stop.
the reel,
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be carried into effect, we desire it to be understood
that we lay no claim either to the employment of spindles for holding the reel
and bobbin, or to the mode of driving the bobbin spindle by band and whorve,.
or to the employment of adjustable guides for regulating the quantity to be
wound on to the bobbin; but we declare that we claim,-
First, the employment or adaptation of a revolving knife or blade for
cutting the thread or yarn at the proper moment, arranged and operating
substantially as described.
Second, the combination with the reel-holding arrangement of a tension a
guide, arranged, acted on, and operating in the manner described..
Third, the self-acting arrangement or combination of parts for preventing
overrunning, and effecting the stoppage of the reel by pressure on the reel
itself when the thread or yarn is cut or broken, as herein-before described.

page_text: Fourth, the general arrangement and combination of parts of winding
machinery, herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said John May Miller and John Fear,,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JOHN FEAR.
(L.S.)
Witness to the signature of the above-
named John Fear,
RICH. ASHTON, Accountant,
Barnstaple.
Witness to the signature of the above-
named John May Miller,
J. P. GILBERT, Bristol,
Sub-Manager, West of England & South Wales District Bank.