IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MULE FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Schofield Whitworth, of Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MULE FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS."
Sealed the 10th October 1854, and dated the 11th April 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Schofield Whit-
worth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th April 1854.
I, THOMAS SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MULE FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS to be as follows:-
My Invention refers to that construction of mule commonly known as Sharp
& Roberts', and firstly, to that part thereof which alternately liberates and
arrests the revolution of the escapement wheel. According to my Invention, I
so mount that apparatus as to constitute an elastic abutment for the pin
of the wheel to bear against, instead of employing a rigid stop, as now
practised.
Another point of novelty also relates to the escapement apparatus, and con-
sists in the employment a rotatory surface against which the "long lever" or

page_text: some part connected therewith bears during its alteration of position. Thus, for
instance, I apply a cam upon the axis of the escapement wheel, which, as it
revolves, bears against the "long lever," and thus constitutes a shifting abut-
ment for allowing the said lever gradually to pass into the required position.
Another part of my improvements relates to the winding-on motion, and
consists in forming the screw which regulates the point of attachment of the
winding-on chain irregular in its pitch.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Schofield Whitworth in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, Her especial license that I, the
said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, 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 THE MULE FOR SPINNING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-

page_text: My Invention refers to that construction of mule commonly known as Sharp
and Roberts, and firstly, to that part thereof which alternately liberates and
arrests the revolution of the escapement wheel. According to my Invention,
I so mount that apparatus as to constitute an elastic abutment for the pin of
the wheel to bear against, instead of employing a rigid stop, as now practised.
Another point of novelty also relates to the escapement apparatus, and con-
sists in the employment of a rotatory surface against which the "long lever"
or some part connected therewith bears during its alteration of position, thus
constituting a shifting abutment for allowing the said lever gradually to pass
into the required position.
Another part of my improvements relates to the winding-on motion, and
consists in forming the screw which regulates the point of attachment of the
winding-on chain irregular in its pitch, my object being to gain a compara-
tively greater variation for each revolution of the screw at the commencement
of the formation of a cop.
Having thus stated generally the leading features of my improvements
as set forth in my Provisional Specification, I will proceed, by aid of the
accompanying Drawing, to shew how the same may be carried into practical
operation.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of a mule, and Fig. 2, a plan view thereof,
exhibiting those parts only necessary for the illustration of my improvements.
The usual long lever "is shewn at a, turning on a centre at b; upon the face
of the lever is mounted a plate c, provided with a slot, through which a nut d
is passed, and by which it is therefore confined transversely, but is allowed by
means of its slot to slide to and fro in a longitudinal direction; to this plate is
attached a rod c, moving at its other end in a guide picce f, and furnished with
a spiral spring g, bearing against a fixed nut, by which means the plate c is
forced outward until arrested by a stop h, arriving in contact with the end of a
slot formed in the long lever through which it passes. This stop is the part
employed for determining the motion of the escapement wheel m. It will
therefore be evident, that when either of the pins i, j, k, or 1, of the said wheel
arrive in contact therewith, that the percussive force will be exerted upon the
spring 9, and the shock will be lessened.
The second part of my improvements will also be illustrated by reference to
Figs. 1 and 2. Upon the escapement wheel m is mounted a projecting part n,
the periphery of which is excentric to the centre of the wheel. According to
the position shewn, the stop his holding back the pin i of the "running out'
motion, and the next movement of the lever at that end will be upward; in
"

page_text: performing which motion, the stop h will pass on to the projection n before the
other end of the lever o shall have arrived in contact with the usual stop; but as
the said part n is at the same time revolving with the escapement wheel, the stop
h will be allowed to move gradually inward so as to form an abutment for the
backing-off pink, its further motion being prevented by the usual apparatus
which operates in conjunction with the part o. I have above assumed that no
distinct motion is to take place between the running out of the carriage and the
backing off, and that the stop h, therefore, passes within the pin j; if, however, a
twist is intended to be put in at the head, the lever a will be prevented by the
asual means from passing through so great a space, and the stop h. will arrest
the motion of the escapement wheel by means of the pin j; after which, upon
another change taking place, the excentric part n will guide the lever into a
suitable position for acting upon the pin k, as before described.
My third improvement is shewn applied in Figs. 1 and 2, and the con-
struction more clearly in the detached Figs. 3 and 4, upon an enlarged scale.
The screw for regulating the point of attachment for the winding-on chain is
shewn at p, formed with a gradually decreasing pitch from the centre of motion
of the quadrant; owing to this arrangement it is necessary that the nut should
be capable of accommodating itself to the various angles upon which it works;
the method by which I accomplish this is as follows:Within a boss 7 are
formed two cylindrical orifices, in each of which are placed two semi-cylindrical
blocks,, and between these are situate steel plates s, which pass through
the boss q, and project into the thread of the screw; the lower semi-cylindrical
blocks are tapped for the reception of screws t, which also pass through the
upper block and the plates s, and bear against the former by means of
shoulders; as, therefore, these screws are turned, the halved blocks become
drawn together and tightened upon the plates s. The screws t pass through
slots formed in the boss q, so as to allow the cylindrical blocks to turn in their
sockets, and thus accommodate the plates s to the several angles formed by the
irregular screw. In order to provide for grinding the projecting parts of the
plates s on their becoming worn, they are provided with slots, through which
the screws t pass, and they may therefore be moved inward, as desired I bave
in the foregoing description pointed out my several improvements as combined
and working together; I do not, however, intend to confine myself to such
combination, as they may be used separately, together with suitable ordinary
machinery, if desired.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood

page_text: that I claim, as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters
Patent,-
Firstly, the use of a stop with an elastic abutment for determining the motions
of the escapement wheel.
Secondly, the employment of a rotatory surface for guiding the stop attached
to the "long lever" into the required position.
And, thirdly, the employment of a screw of varying pitch for shifting the
point of attachment of the winding-ou chain.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
THOMAS SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH. (L.S.)