IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SPINNING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson; of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SPINNING."-A com-
munication from abroad by Edmund Victory, of Watertown, Jefferson
County State of New York. United States of America.
Sealed the 23rd October 1860, and dated the 22nd May 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with his Petition, on
the 22nd May 1860.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SPINNING," a com-
munication from abroad by Edmund Victory, of Watertown,Jefferson County,
State of New York, United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of certain
parts of machinery or apparatus employed in the preparatory process for
spinning known as roving, and has for its object the regulation of the actions
of the feed and drawing rollers in relation to each, without necessitating
Price 81

page_text: the stoppage of the machine. The present improvements are applicable only
to those roving machines wherein the sliver is simultaneously drawn and
twisted by the action of a draw head, provided with drawing rollers that not
only revolve on their own axes to effect the draw, but have also a general
rotatory motion in connection with the draw head to produce the twist, and
consists of a peculiar mode of regulating the draw and adjusting the hold of
the draw and feed rollers on the fibre by the employment of a convenient
arrangement of mechanism, whereby the distance between the draw and feed
rollers is rendered adjustable either during the working of the machine or
when at rest. The rotatory motion of the drawing rollers on their own axes is
derived from the draw head itself by the aid of a stationary circular rack
formed partly upon the standard of the draw head, and partly upon the cap or
cover of the bearing in such standard, a pinion on the draw head gearing into
this stationary circular rack, and imparting motion to one of the drawing
rollers by means of a screw and worm wheel. Or by another arrangement
the stationary circular rack is replaced by a pinion revolving loosely upon the
draw tube, and driven at a greater or less speed by suitable gearing actuated
by a band and cone pulley, the pinion carried by the draw head being still
retained and gearing into the loose pinion on the draw tube, round which it
rotates, after the manner of the sun-and-planet motion. The feeding rollers
may also be driven by means of gearing actuated by a band and cone pulley.
The adjustment of the distance between the feeding rollers and draw head
may be effected by placing the feeding rollers on a separate sliding carriage,
which is caused to approach towards or recede from the draw head according
to the degree of twist required, and length of fibre or staple operated upon.
Behind each draw head there is a circular shield, through the centre of which
the twisted sliver or roving passes, and the series of shields is enclosed in one
common guard or fender, which consists of a bar or plate extending from end
to end of the machine, and having its upper edge turned over, so as to cover
in the several draw heads, and so prevent the broken end of a roving from
becoming accidentally entangled with any of the draw heads or rollers. The
grip or pressure of the drawing rollers upon the roving is self-adjusting, this
result being obtained either by weighted levers, which, by the centrifugal
force generated by the rotation of the draw head will press the rollers together
with a force proportioned to the speed of rotation of the draw head, or by
means of a weighted lever and spring.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd November 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentle-
man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SPINNING," a com
munication from abroad by Edmund Victory, of Watertown, Jefferson
County, State of New York, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 1, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
certain parts of machinery or apparatus employed in the first or preparatory
process of spinning known as roving, and has for its object the regulation of
the actions of the feed and drawing rollers in relation to each without necessi-
tating the stoppage of the machine.
The present improvements are applicable only to those roving machines

page_text: wherein the sliver is simultaneously drawn and twisted by the action of
a rotatory draw head provided with drawing rollers that not only revolve on
their own axes to effect the draw, but have also a general rotatory motion in
connection with the draw head to produce the twist. These improvements
consist of a peculiar mode of regulating the draw and adjusting the action of
the draw and feed rollers in the fibre by the employment of a convenient
arrangement of mechanism, whereby the distance between the draw aud feed
rollers is rendered adjustable, either during the working of the machine or
when at rest. The rototary motion of the drawing rollers on their own axes
is derived from the draw head itself by the aid of a stationary circular rack
formed partly upon the standard of the draw head, and partly upon the cap or
cover of the bearing in such standard. A pinion carried by the draw head
gears into this stationary circular rack and imparts motion to one of the
drawing rollers by means of a screw and worm wheel.
According to another arrangement the stationary circular rack is replaced
by a pinion revolving loosely upon the draw tube, and driven at a greater or
less speed by suitable gearing actuated by a shifting band and cone pullies, the
pinion carried by the draw head being still retained, and gearing into the loose
pinion on the draw tube, round which it rotates,after the manner of the sun-
and planet motion. By this means facility is afforded for regulating the
relative speeds of the drawing and feeding rollers without stopping the roving
frame. The feeding rollers may also be driven by means of gearing actuated
by a shifting band and cone pulley, whereby their speed may be regulated at
pleasure. The adjustment of the distar ce between the feeding rollers and draw
head may be effected by placing the feeding rollers on a separate sliding
carriage, which is caused to approach towards or recede from the draw head
according to the degree of twist required and length of fibre or staple operated
upon. Behind each draw head there is a circular shield, through the centre
of which the twisted sliver or roving passes, and the series of shields is enclosed
in one common guard or fender, which consists of a bar or plate extending
from end to end of the machine, and having its upper edge turned over so as
to cover in the several draw heads, and so prevent the broken end of a roving
from becoming accidentally entangled with any of the draw heads or rollers.
The grip or pressure of the drawing rollers upon the roving is self-adjusting,
this result being obtained either by weighted levers, which, by the centrifugal
force generated by the rotation of the draw head, will press the rollers together
with a force proportionate to the speed of rotation of the draw head, or by
means of a weighted lever and spring..
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now

page_text: proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
corresponding figures.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a side
elevation of a roving machine with the present improvements applied to it;
Figure 2 is a plan thereof; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the same;
and Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, represent detached views of the head and portions
thereof. A represents the draw head of the character I have herein-before
referred to.
The wool or other fibrous material is first passed through ordinary or any
other suitable feed rollers a, a', the lower one a of which may be fluted and
made to receive a positive motion by suitable gearing, whilst the upper one a¹
may be covered with leather, and bung so as to rotate freely and be held down
to exert a necessary pressure by springs b, b. This is an ordinary construction
of the feed rollers, and for conveying or guiding the slivers to the draw head,.
and for supporting such slivers when in continuity and being rove, for which
purpose the line of junction of the rollers is usually in a horizontal plane
coincident with or crossing at a suitable distance from it, the tube c of the
draw head, which is shewn more clearly in section in Figure 6.
A general rotatory motion is communicated to the draw head A by means
of a cord or band from a drum below, and passing round a pulley d fast on the
draw bead tube c; or it may be driven in any other suitable manner. The
drawing rollerse, e', receive a general rotatory motion in common with the head
as they are carried by the latter. In addition to this the said rollers (which
are or may be situated as in other draw heads, and be of any well known or
suitable construction,) have a separate motion on their own axes, or are made
capable of such independent rotation, as previously alluded to; but according
to this Invention they are driven in a novel manner, and the draw head itself
is made to partake of certain peculiarities in construction. Thus, the draw
rollers or the one e, which is driven, and which may, as usual, be fluted, whilst
the other roller e¹ may be covered with leather, and hung so as to rotate freely
under pressure of a spring f, is not dependent for its individual rotation upon
distinct driving mechanism, but is made of necessity to rotate separately in
proper relationship to the general motion of the head by causing it to derive
its rotation as well as its general movement with the head from and by the
motion of the latter. This is here effected by means of a stationary circular
rack g, into which a toothed pinion h is made to gear, and round which it
travels by the general movement of the draw head, this pinion being made fas

page_text: to a spindle in the rotating draw head, which spindle carries at one end a
screw i, that gears with and drives a pinion j (Figures 4 and 5) on the draw
roller e.
The circular stationary rack g I prefer to construct in two parts or
halves, as is clearly shewn in the detail, Figure 7, and I attach the one of
these parts to or cast it in one piece with the cap B of one of the standards B
which carries the tubular shaft c of the draw head, the other part of the rack
being cast on or secured to the standard itself, so that by simply turning the
head to bring the pinion h to a downward position or out of the way of the
standard cap B, and detaching the caps B1, B2, from their standards B, B3,
the draw head may be lifted out, when required, for repairing or cleaning.
The speed of rotation on their own axes of the drawing rollers e, e¹, should
.of course be faster than that of the feed. rollers a, a¹, in order to produce the
necessary draw on the slivers as they pass from the feed to the drawing rollers,
and are twisted as well as drawn by the rotation of the head and separate
revolution of its rollers, as herein-before described, and are delivered in the
form of rovings in the rear of the machine after passage through the eye
or tubular shaft c of the draw head.
I prefer that the feed and drawing rollers should have a fixed or set speed
relatively to each other. The distance between these two sets of rollers,
however, I make variable to facilitate the spinning of fine or coarse wool, or
whatever the staple may be, and to meet other requirements or peculiarities.
Thus, by increasing the distance between the feed rollers a, a', and draw
rollers e, e¹, more draft will be produced, and the roving made thinner or
reduced accordingly, whilst, when coarse roving is required, then the distance
between the feed and draw rollers should be reduced. This will be clear
when it is considered that the feed being the same in each case, and supposing
the draw head and its rollers to have a ixed speed; there must of necessity be
more twist per foot given to the slivers between the feed and draw rollers, in
proportion as these sets of rollers are brought nearer to each other, and con-
sequently a more compact and stronger roving will be produced. Of course,
if desired, provision for varying the speed of any one or more of these several
parts may be made, as I shall herein-after describe. In connection with this
portion of the Invention there are other important considerations; forinstance,
in working wool it must be remembered that the nature of the staple varies
both in length and coarseness or strength of fibre. Generally the coarser the
wool the longer the staple, and the finer the wool the shorter the staple. It
should also be remembered that the draw rollers in all cases travel faster on
their own axes than the feed rollers, in order to produce the draft; consequently
if the fibre of the substance to be rove be long enough to reach and be held

page_text: simultaneously by both the feed and draw rollers, a strain will be exerted
upon it, which will cause it to break and occasion frequent or a constant
recurrence of breakages, and necessitate continual stoppages ofthe machinery.
This, however, may be avoided by increasing the distance between the feed
and draw rollers, so as to make it impossible for both sets of rollers to have
hold at the same time on the same fibre, and so as only to gripe on a continuity
of fibres. It is important too, to prevent stoppages of the machinery and
breaking of the fibre, that this adjustment of the distance between the feed
and draw rollers should be capable of being made during the operation of
roving. To effect this, the feed rollers a, a¹, may be carried by an inde-
pendent slide C, provided with a rack D, that may project through a slot,
made longer than the rack, in the general table or stand E. By turning a
handle F or the outside, to the right or to the left, the slide C, with the feed
rollers, may be made to approach towards or recede from the draw rollers, the
shaft on which the handle F is fast carrying a pinion G,that gears into the rack
of the slide C. A. convenient mode of driving the feed rollers to meet this
adjustment is to communicate power through suitable gearing to a vertical
shaft H, which in its turn may be made to drive by bevel wheels I, J, a
toothed cylinder K of sufficient length to provide for the extremes of adjust-
ment of the feed to the draw rollers, and which cylinder has gearing into it a
pinion (L) carrying on its shaft another pinion (M) which gears with a
wheel (N), on the shaft of which is a bevel pinion (P) gearing into a bevel
wheel (Q) on the shaft of the feed roller a. A shield is placed in front of the
draw heads for the purpose herein-before mentioned. It is of a circular form,
and of a sufficiently large diameter to entirely cover and protect the draw
rollers, and is sunk or slightly funnel-shaped towards the centre, where a hole
or opening is cut fitting as closelyas possible to the surfaces of the draw rollers,
without being in actual contact therewith. In Figures 4, 5, and 6 this disc
or shield is represented at d" in front and side elevation and vertical section.
It is here shewn attached to the draw head and revolving with it. Iu order
that the operation of the draw head in connection with the shield may be fully
understood, I would observe that the sliver after being delivered by the draw
head is received on to a bobbin carried by a revolving spindle, to which as
great a speed is given as the resistance or strength of the material will allow
of. The strain on the twisted and drawn sliver being constant, and the sliver
itself varying in strength at different parts, it occasionally happens that the
sliver becomes broken between the draw head and the spindle. When this
occurs it is necessary in draw heads of the ordinary construction to stop the
running of both the spindle and the draw head for the purpose of uniting the

page_text: broken ends of the sliver, and those particularly for preventing the upper
loose end in the draw head from becoming entangled with the rollers and
gearing. By adopting a shield, as above described, I am enabled to obviate
these objections, as in case of a breakage of the sliver I can piece or join
the broken ends without stopping any of the working parts; whilst the peculiar
formation of the disc or shield effectually prevents the loose end of the sliver
from getting entangled with the draw head. The several draw heads of the
machine have a plate or fender e" (Figure 1), common to all, placed in front
of them, and this plate has circular holes cut in it corresponding to the several
shields, which fit and rotate therein. The top of this plate or fender is
extended back horizontally, as shewn at f¹¹, thereby protecting the draw
heads from the sliver, should it be thrown over from above or from one
draw head to another.
In the arrangement herein-before described and illustrated on Sheet 1 of
the Drawings, the feed and draw rollers rotate on their own axis at a certain
invariable speed in relation to each other, there being no arrangement shewn
for increasing or diminishing the speed of rotation of the draw head upon
which the draw rollers depend for both their movements.
In the arrangement illustrated by the several Figures on Sheets 2 and 3 of
the Drawings, the motion of the feed and draw rollers is under perfect control,
and maybe increased or diminished at pleasure without stopping the machine.
Figure 1 (Sheet 2), represents a side elevation of a machine so constructed;
Figure 2 is a plan of the same showing the speed regulating mechanism.
Figure 3, Sheet 3. is a detached sectional plan of the lower pair of speed
cones and belt shifter employed in this arrangement; Figure 4 on the same
Sheet is a side elevation of the upper and lower cones and belt shifter; and
Figure 5 (Sheet 2) is a detail of the standard of the draw head. In these
Figures the various parts which correspond to similar parts on Sheet 1 are
indicated by similar letters of reference. The spur wheel h carried by the
draw head A gears into a loose pinion g' in place of into a fixed circular
rack g, as described in reference to Sheet 1. This loose pinion g¹is carried
on a tubular stud h¹, Figure 5, or it may be fitted to revolve loosely upon the
tube c. Supposing that the present arrangement of the mechanism enabled
the draw head to make one thousand revolutions per minute, whilst the draw
rollers e, e¹, are making one hundred revolutions per minute on their own axes,
the rates being ten to one. At the same time suppose the back or feed
rollers a, a¹, to be making fifty revolutions per minute, that is to say,one half of
the speed of the drawing rollers, this of course reducing the roving one half.
But supposing the drawing rollers are reduced to fifty revolutions, and feed

page_text: rollers to twenty-five revolutions, without changing the speed of the head A, it
follows that the amount of twist between the two sets of rollers will be con-
siderably increased. The pinion g¹ should make half as many revolutions as
the wheel h, provided they both have the same number of teeth.. Taking one
hundredrevolutionsandfiftyrevolutionsasthe extremesof motionofthedrawing
and feeding rollers,it is desirable to have any intermediate proportion between
these limits. This is accomplished by means of the two cone pullies R and S,
one of which R receives its motion direct from the main shaft or drum T of
the machine through the gearing U, and imparts its motion to the second cone
pulley S by the gearing V. The pulley R drives a reverse cone pulley R¹on
the shaft W by the shifting strap r. This shaft W carries a bevel wheel X,
which gears into the bevel wheel X¹,fast on the shaft Y, thereby communi-
cating the required motion to the pinion g' by the intermediate sour wheel Y¹.
In order to increase the motion of the wheel g¹, and consequently to decrease
the motion of the drawing rollers e,e¹, the strap r is shifted towards the larger
end of the driving cone R, and smaller end of the cone R', and vice versa if
the motion of the drawing rollers is to be increased, or, in other words, if the
motion of the pinion g¹ is to be decreased. The ratio of this increase or dimi-
nution is regulated by the amount of taper in the cone pullies,such taper being
calculated after the two limits or extremes of motion have been decided upon.
The back or feed rollers a,a¹,are to receive an accellerated or retarded motion
simultaneously with the change in the front or drawing rollers, but in a diffe-
rent degree or ratio. The speed of the back or feed rollers is regulated by the
slightly tapered cone pullies S and S². The pulley S' is driven by a shifting
straps passed round the pulley S, and by means of the bevel wheels Z drives
the toothed cylinder K herein-before referred to, and consequently controls
the motion of the feeding rollers i. (Figures 3 and 4 represents the belt
shifter; it is provided with guiding forks k, k, and is traversed to and fro,
so as to shift both belts or straps and s simultaneously by means of the
screw spindle working in a nut in the belt shifter.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
to be employed in spinning fibrous substances, as herein-before described.
Second, the peculiar construction and arrangement of mechanism for
regulating the draft, and adjusting the hold of the draw and feed rollers on

page_text: the fibre without necessarily stopping the machine, substantially as herein-
before described.
Third, the peculiar construction and arrangement of draw head, and its
combination.with a discoidal shield or protector, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the driving or rotating of the draw rollers on their own axes
from the diaw head itself, as herein-before described and illustrated on
Sheet 1 of the Drawings.
Fifth, the combination of a circular stationary rack, with a pinion carried
by the draw head, and rotating upon its own axis whilst it revolves round and
in gear with the stationary rack, for the purpose herein-before described.
Sixth, constructing the circular stationary rack in two parts, and attaching
or forming the one part to or upon the cap of the draw head standard, for
the purpose of facilitating the removal of the draw head, substantially as
herein-before described.
Seventh, the application and use, in combination with the draw head
herein-before referred to, of a revolving toothed wheel or pinion in lieu of a
circular stationary rack, such wheel or pinion being driven at a greater or
less speed by the aid of suitable gearing and conical rollers or drums, in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated on
Sheets 2 and 3 of the Drawings.
Eighth, the system or mode of regulating and varying the relative speeds
of the feed and draw rollers without interfering with the rotating motion
of the draw head, as herein-before described.
Ninth, the system or mode of rendering the grip or pressure of the draw
rollers upon the roving by the aid of weighted levers acted upon by the
centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the draw head, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of November, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
J. HENRY JOHNSON.
(L.S.)