US735996A - Antisnarling-motion for spinning-mules. - Google Patents

Description

No; 735,996. PATENTBD AUG. 11', 1903. T. MoAULIFFE. ANTISNARLING MOTION FOR SPINNING MULES.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 23, 1903.

N0 MODEL 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED AUG. 11, I903.

T. MoAULIPPE. I

ANTISNARLING MOTION FOR SPINNING MULES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23. 1903.

BET 2.

No MODEL mzmolims vrrsns co, wnorour No. 735,996. I PATENTED Ami-11,1903.

T. McAULIPFE. ANTISNARLING MOTION FOR SPINNING MULES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23 1903.

lio. 735,996.

UNITED "STAT S Iatented August 11, 1903 PATENT OFFICE.

TIMOTHY MCAULIFFE, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ANTlSNARLlNG-MOTION FOR SPlNNING-MULES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,996, dated August 11, 1903.

Application filed AprilZS, 1903.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that LTIMoTHY MCAULIFFE,Of Lawrence, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Antisnarling-Motions for Spinning-Mules,'of which the following descriptiom'in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. This invention relates to spinning-nudes, and more particularly to devices which are designed to prevent the formation of kinks or snarls in the yarn as it is fed from the feedrolls to the spindles,su ch devices being known as antisnarling-motions. During the com plete cycle of operations of the mule the yarn should be slightly under tension, so as to prevent kinking of the yarn, which will always occur the instant the yarn becomes slack. During the running-out or drawing-in of the carriage little difficulty is found in maintaining the yarn at proper tension, as the speed of the feed-rollers and spindles may be made to correspond exactlyto the speed of the carriage. As the carriage finishes the running-in motion, the faller-wires, which have been holding the yarn out of its direct course as it is drawn from the feed-rolls to the spindles on which the yarn is wound, must be changed, so that the spinning operation may again take place. This change in position of the faller-wires gives 01f a certain amount of slack yarn which varies from an amount which is almost inappreciable to an inch or more. For this and other reasons it is necessary to start the feed-rollers practically on the instant that the carriage begins its outward run; but unless some provision is made to take up this extra slack yarn which is usually given off, kinks will appear in the yarn which will later become wound upon the cop and finally become woven into the cloth. Various methods have been employed to take up this slack yarn, a usual method being to delay the starting of the rollers until after the carriage has moved out a short distance. This has been accomplished by causing the clutch member between the driving-shaft and the roller-shaft, which is normally held to rotate with the roller-shaft, to be set back a short distance from the position in which it was at the end of the running-out motion, so that it serial No.153,903. (No model.)

will be rotated a short distance by the driven clutch member before it moves into operative connection with the roller-shaft.

In the ordinary operation of a spinningmule it often happens that the tension fallerwire is raised to different heights at the beginning of the winding-on operation, withthe result that when the taller-wires change at the end of the winding motion more or less slack yarn will be given off, which will only be taken up partially by the antisnarling motion, which must be set to take up no more than the normal amount of slack yarn which is given off when the tension faller-wire is moved to its normal position. In spinningmules it is also common to rotate the feedroller shaft at a relatively low speed during the running-in or Winding-on operation in order to increase the production and for other reasons which need not be here explained, the mechanism which is employed to accomplish this additional movement of the feedroller shaft being known as the roller-motion while winding. In case this motion is employed and if it were also desired to use the antisnarling-motion above referred to, the rotation of the shaft while winding would practically set the clutch member back to its maximum limit and render the antisnarlingmotion ineffective, and, so far as I am aware, an antisnarling-motion of the character above referred to has never been combined with the roller-motion during winding.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a form of antisnarling-motion which may be set positively, so as to take up a minimum length of slack yarn at each operation, and then be adjusted by the spinner as the spinningoperation continues to take up more slack yarn, as the conditions may require.

A further object of my invention is to antomatically vary the extent to which the starting of the feed-rollers will be retarded, according to the position to which the tension faller-wire may be moved at the beginning of the winding operation, so that if the fallerwire is moved above the normal, thereby giving off more yarn than it does during its normal operation, then the roller-shaft will be correspondingly retarded in its starting movement, so that the additional amount of slack yarn which is given off under such abnormal condition will be taken up and if the tensionwire be moved to its normal position upon the next motion the roller-shaft will simply be retarded to its normal extent, so that there will be no danger of the yarn being broken by the roller being retarded to too great an extent.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for setting back the clutch member, which is connected to the roller-shaft during the operation of backing-off, and then to lock the same upon the roller-shaft in preciscly the position to which it has been moved by the previous motion, so that when the roller-shaft is rotated forward to give off additional yarn during the winding operation the extent to which the clutch has been set back with relation to the shaft will not be changed and the starting of the roller-shaft will be retarded to the same extent at the beginning of the next spinning operation as it would if the shaft had been held stationary during the entire winding operation.

I accomplish these objects by the means and mechanism hereinafter explained, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan v iew illustrating the main parts of an ordinary form of spinning-mule to which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a side View of the head and certain parts of the carriage. Fig. 3 is a view of one side of the motion comprised by my invention. Figs. 4 and 5 are views of the opposite side of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 3, showing the parts in different positions. Fig. 6 is an end view, partly in section, 011 line 00 0c of Fig. 1. 7 is a central longitudinal sectional view through the feed-roller clutch mechanism. Fig. Sis a detail view of one of the rollermotion gears.

The operation of a spinning-mule of the type illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 may be described in a general way as follows: Four pu1- leys a are mounted on the rim-shaft ct, two of said pulleys being loose and two fast on the shaft and being driven by a pair of belts in the usual manner. The rim-shaft is provided with a wheel a about which the cable a, which drives the drums Z) on the carriage 0, passes, said drums driving the spindles b in the usual manner. The front feed-roller (Z is driven through a clutch c, the loose member e of which is constantly driven by the gear 6 As the carriage finishes its runningin motion a lug c thereon passes over a roller at the inner end of the long levcrf, drawing down a rod f and liberating the fastmember f of a clutch on the cam-shaft g, causing the cam-shaft to make half a rotation before rod f is again liberated, the loose member f of the cam-shaft clutch being constantly driven by the gear (6. This movement causes the cam e" on the cam-shaft to operate the forked lever c and throw the fast member 6 of the roller clutch 0, usually termed the catch-box, into gear, starting the rollershaft. The same movement of the cam-shaft operates a clutch-lever g by means of the cam g thereon, throwing the clutch g into gear with the scroll-shaft 7)., thereby winding cable 9* onto the scroll g said cable passing about pulley g and being connected to the front side of the carriage, so that the carriage is then drawn outwardly. During the outward run of the carriage the faller-wires 2' and j will be held out of contact with the yarn and the yarn will be twisted in the usual manner. At the end of the outward run the lug c on the carriage will pass under the roller at the outer end of the long lever f, tilting the lever and again permitting the fast member f of the cam-shaft clutch to move into gear with the driven member, causing the cam-shaft to be rotated another half-turn,

throwing the clutch g out of gear and stopping the carriage, and also separating the clutch members 6 e and stopping the feedroller. The back shaft 7L3 is constantly driven by gear a, and this shaft in turn drives the vertical shaft 71/1, on which the friction-clutch member h is splined, the other member 7L2 having a bevel-gear secured thereto, which meshes with a corresponding gear 011 the scroll-shaft h. During the outward run of the carriage the cam 72, on the cam-shaft g holds the bell-crank lever h in the position shown in Fig. 6, said lever acting through the loosely-connected link It to press down the lever 71 which is pivoted on the rocloshaft 71*, so as to lift the clutch member it out of engagement with member 7L2. As the camshaft is rotated at the end of the outward run the lever 77, is moved to draw up the link 71.7 and throw clutch h 71. into gear; but just before this occurs an inclined portion of the jawlever presses down a roll on lever 0 forein g the backin g-off rod 0 rearwardly an d moving a lug c on lever c beneath the forked end of lever 71?, thereby preventing such action. This movement also throws clutch a on the rim-shaft a into gear and at the same time the belts 011 the pulleys a are shifted and the rim-shaft is rotated rearwardly, causing the spindles to be reversed and the backing-off n 5 motion to be accomplished. The backward rotation of the drum 1) draws down the copping faller-wire 1' through the chain (indicated in dotted lines at i) and at the same time the tension faller-wire j is thrown upwardly by any suitable means usually employed for this purpose. This motion releases the lever 0 so that it may be drawn back by its spring c throwing the backing-off rod 0 forwardly,

so that the lever c is drawn forward, libcr- I25 ating the lever 71. and clutch member 7L and permitting it to be quickly forced into engagement with the member 7L2 by spring h thereby causing the scroll-shaft 7b to be reversed,

so that the cable It is wound on the scroll h and the carriage starts to run. in. At the beginning of the running-in motion of the carriage the backing-off motion will have ceased and the spindles will have again been to the present invention a further description thereof is unnecessary. When the cam-shaft is again rotated at the latter part of the rundirection.

ning-in motion, lever 72 is again moved to the position shown in Fig. 6 and the member 72 is lifted out of gear. This movement is practically simultaneous with the movement which throws the clutch members 6 and 9 into gear.

As shown in Fig. 3, the fast clutch member or catch-box e on the feed-roller instead of being splined on the shaft in the usual manner, as when an antisnarling-motion is not employed, is provided with a pair of lugs 6 which are arranged within a circular recess formed in its end next the other clutch member. The shaft of the feed-roller cl has a pair of arms d rigidly secured thereto in a position to engage the lugs e on the catch-box 6 This arrangement permits nearly a half a rotation of the catch-box on the shaft 01 before the arms 01 and lugs 6 come into engagement.

A bracket is is secured to the frame of the machine and a shaft is is j ournaled therein. A wheel k is journaled on the shaft is, one side of said wheel being made heavier than the other, as indicated, so that in certain positions it will tend to rotate in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3. The wheel 76 and catch-box e are each provided with a beltgroovein which a belt L is arranged. Secured to the shaft is a dog M, having at one end two stop-arms m m, which extend approximately in the same direction.

A plate a is secured by bolts n or to the bracket is, the bolt n passing through an areshaped slot in the plate permitting a swinging adjustment thereof on bolt n. Said plate has on its side an adjusting-block 0, which is slidably supported on a projecting rib n on the side of the plate and is held in place by a bolt n which passes through a slot in the bracket, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. A guide-rod 0' is secured to the block 0 and passes through a lug n on the plate 11, and a spring 0 is arranged on said rod between said block and said lug. The upper surface of said block is provided with a series of steps, as indicated at 0 the surface of the block between each step extending obliquely, as shown. A depending finger 0 is rigidly secured to the block 0. A lug n on the plate or acts to limit the forward movement of the block 0, said block being normally held against said stop by the spring 0 An adjusting-screw 'm is threaded in the arm m and is adapted to rest on the upper side of the block 0. The lower arm m extends directly beneath the bracket It, so that it may engage the same and limit the rotation of the shaft 70 in one A stop-finger Z0 is secured to the opposite end of shaft 70 from dog M and is arranged between a stop-lug 70 on the wheel k 'and the end of a set-screw 143 which is threaded in alug k on the wheel.

The tension faller-shaft j has an arm j se cured, thereto, and a lever q is loosely pivoted on the copping faller-shaft t" or at any other convenient point on the carriage, the outer end of said lever 9 being weighted and resting on the upper side of the arm j The inner end of the lever q is provided with a vertically-extending adjustable finger The operation of the motion thus far de-- scribed is as follows: During the outward run of the carriage the catch-box or fast member 6 of the roller-clutch will be driven so that its lugs 6 will be moved against the arms d of the roller, causing the latter to rotate and give off yarn in the manner previously described. This action drives the belt L and causes the wheel 7.0 to rotate, moving the end of the screw 70 into engagement with the stopfinger k. This movement causes the shaft is to rotate to such an extent that the lower arm 'm is brought into engagement with the under side of the bracket lo, preventing further rotation of the shaft and also of the wheel 70 The belt L will then slip about the wheel during the remainder of the outward run. At the finish of the outward run the rollerclutch members are separated, stopping the roller, and the instant these members are disconnected the weighted side of the wheel 70 will move downwardly, causing the wheel k to rotate in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3. This rotation continues until the lug k is moved against the stop -finger 70. During this rotation the clutch member 6 will be rotated rearwardly, so that the lugs e will be moved back out of engagement with the fingers d, as indicated in Fig. 3, with the result that when the clutch member c is again thrown into engagement with the driven member the member 6 must make a part of a revolution before its lugs e engage the arms d, thereby delaying the starting of the feedroll with relation to the starting of the carriage on its outward run. It will be observed that the extent to which the clutch member 6 will be set back in the manner just described will depend on the distance which the wheel may rotate .before lug 70 engages finger is, and this depends, first, on the position of the finger k, and, second, upon the distance between the end of the stop-screw 70 and the lugk The greater the distance between the end of the screw 10 and finger 7.: when the lug k is resting against said finger, the greater will be the arc through which the wheel k may be rotated during the running-out motion, and therefore the greater the are through which the clutch member e will be rotated rearwardly when it is liberated at the finish of the outward run. The weight of the arms m m and the adjusting-screw m are such that the end of the screw m will always rest on the upper side of the block 0 except when it is lifted therefrom by the rotation of the wheel 10 in the opposite direction from the arrow in Fig. 3 during the running-out motion. It will be seen, therefore, that if the adjusting-screw m is unscrewed or turned up both the arm on and stop-finger will be swung downwardly, moving the latter away from the lug 7c and permitting the wheel 70 to rotate in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 through a greater arc, thereby setting back the catch-box to a great extent and correspondingly further delaying the starting of the roller with relation to the starting of the outward run of the carriage. If also the block 0 were moved rearwardly, so as to compress the spring 0 the end of the screw m would fall down on one of the steps 0 of the block, thus lowering the finger 70 and correspondingly delaying the starting of the roller, as before explained.

The means employed in many instances for lifting the tension faller-wires at the beginning of the running-in motion does not always lift said wires to the same elevation, and it is necessary to adjust the apparatus described so that the slack yarn which is given off by the changing of the faller-wires will be taken up by the mechanism for setting back the catch-box just described, when the fallerwires give off practically the minimum amount of thread at the end of the running-in motion. If, however, the tension faller-wire is thrown up above the normal, a proportionate amount of additional slack yarn will be given off, which will not be taken up in the manner described, and will therefore run into kinks or snarls.

The weighted end of the lever q rests on the arm and the finger g is so adjusted that when the tension taller-wire is raised to its minimum or normal height it will pass directly beneath the depending finger 0 on the block 0 without touching the same, so that the normal amount of slack yarn will be taken up. If, however, the tension fallerwire is thrown up above the normal, the weighted end of the lever q will swing down a corresponding distance, lifting the finger (1 so that as the carriage runs in and approaches the finish of the running-in motion said finger will engage the depending finger 0 as shown in Fig. 5, and will push said block 0 rearwardly, permitting the screw m to drop onto one of the steps 0 and swinging the finger 7r. downwardly, thereby permitting wheel 70 to move back the clutch member e from the position in which it was set at the beginning of the running-in motion, so that the additional slack yarn which will be given off upon the changing of the faller-wires at the end of the inward run will be taken up by correspondingly delaying the starting of the roller.

It will be observed that the plate n is arranged obliquely to the horizontal, so that as the block 0 is moved to the rear it also slides upwardly, and as the end of the finger g moves in an exactly horizontal path it follows that as the block 0 is pushed rearwardly it will also be lifted slightly, so that if the tension faller-wire has only been thrown slightly above the normal the block will be pushed back only a short distance, permitting the screw on to fall upon the first step, as shown in Fig. 5 but if the faller-wire is thrown considerably above the normal the screw m may drop upon the lowest step, thereby causing the apparatus to retard the starting of the roller to the maximum extent. As the rollerclutch is thrown into gear and is rotated forward the wheel k will also be rotated forwardly, moving the end of the screw into engagement with the stop-finger 7a. This will cause the arms m m to be swung upwardly, lifting the screw m out of engagement with the block, and as the screw no longer prevents the block 0 from being moved forwardly the spring 0 will push the block forward to the position shown in Fig. at. In this way the parts will be returned to their normal position, so that if upon the next motion the faller-wire is simply thrown up to its normal height the normal amount of slack yarn will be taken up at the beginning of the running-out operation.

It is common in spinning-mules, particularly with certain classes of work, to provide a gear 19 on the roller, which may be constantly driven by the gear 19 19 the latter having a pawl-and-ratchet connection with its drivingshaft, said gears acting to drive the front feedroller slowly when the clutch members 6 e are separated, thereby giving off a certain amount of thread during the winding operation, this action beingknown as the rollermotion during winding. When the mule is provided with this motion, the roller will be rotated forward during the running-in n10- tion, thus swinging the arms (1 thereon forward into engagement with the opposite lugs from those with which they were in engagement during the feeding motion while the spinning operation was taking place, unless means were provided to prevent such action. This would therefore have the effect of causing the roller to be retarded nearly half a revolution at the beginning of the running-out motion, and it would consequently render the entire operation previously described ineffective. To prevent the clutch member 6 from being moved from the position on the shaft to which it was turned at the end of the running-out motion,I provide a mechanism which I will now describe.

The end of the clutch member 0 opposite its toothed end is provided with a conical-shaped cavity e", and a clutch-sleeve s is splined on the roller-shaft, as shown in Fig. 7. The end of said sleeve next the member 6 is made conical and provided with a conical face, preferably covered with leather, and said sleeve is also provided with an annular groove 8 in its surface. A forked lever 8 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6 and in Figs. 1 and 2) engages the groove 5 in said sleeve and is secured to a horizontal shaft .3 Said shaft is j ournaled in rigid bearings on the head and is provided with an arm 3 A link 5' is pivoted to the arm .9 at one end and passes loosely through an arm 3 which is rigidly secured to rocksh'aft h. A spring 8 is arranged on link 3 between a nut s and arm 5 and a nut s is provided on said link at the opposite side of arm 8 from said spring. The operation of this part of the mechanism is as follows: At the end of the running-out motion the rollerclutch is thrown out of gear, and the clutch membere thereon is almost instantlyset back, as before described, this operation being completed while the backing-off motion is taking place. The backing-off rod 0 is then drawn forwardly, releasing thelever 7L rotating the rock-shaft 77, and putting the clutch h 71.2 into gear to start the carriage on its inward run. This movement of the rock-shaft will force the arm 8 against spring .9 drawing link 5 to the left, rotating shaft 5 and swinging forked arm .9 so that it moves the sleeve 8 into engagement with the clutch member 6 thereby locking the latter upon the rollershaft. This action will therefore prevent the roller-shaft from rotating within the clutch member 6 during the running-in motion. As the carriage finishes its inward run the rockshaft h will be moved in the opposite direction by the cam h so that the clutch-sleeve s will be moved away from the member 6 so as to unlock the same at the same instant the latter is thrown into gear. As the throwing out of the running-in clutch of the scroll-shaft and thethrowing in of the running-out and roller clutch must be practically simultaneous, it would be practically impossible to employ the locking mechanism j, just described,

in connection with the means for varying the starting of the feed-roller according to the position of the tension faller-wire, which operates toward the end of the running-in mo tion,without additional mechanism. To combine these mechanisms and to prevent all posroller-shaft. (See Fig. 7.) A shaft 79 is journaled on the head, and a forked arm 19 1s secured thereto and engages an annular groove in the catch-box 19 Two intermeshing gears 19 p are respectively secured to shafts p 8 so that when the shaft 5 is rotated to throw the clutch-sleeve 5 into engagement with the catch-box e the constantly-driven gear p will also be connected to the roller-shaft d, and when the sleeve .9 is thrown in the opposite direction the gear 19 will be disconnected. With a this arrangement, therefore, the roller-motion will not be thrown into operation until after the catch-box c has been set back at the beginning of the running-in motion, the catch box 6 being locked and the roller motion started simultaneously.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the end of rod 0 is provided with an inclined or wedge-shaped head 0 and arranged directly over said head is a vertically-guided bar 0, having a frictionroller 0 at its lower end, which is adapted to rest on the inclined portion of said head when sleeve 3 is in engagement with catchbox 6 as hereinafter explained. The'upper end of said bar 0 is pivotally connected to one end of a lever 0 which is pivoted on a bracket 0 the other end of said lever being pivotally connected to an arm 0 secured to shaft 5 When the faller-wires j are raised too high and the block 0 is consequently pushed back, as shown in Fig. 5, the wedgeshaped head 0 will force'the bar 0 upward, swinging lever 0 so asto force shaft 8 to rotate, compressing spring 8 and at the same time throwing sleeve 8 out of gear with the catch-box e and the catch-box p out of gear with the gear 1), thereby unlocking the catchbox 6 so that it may be' rotated rearwardly by wheel k and disconnecting the gear 19, so that the roller is instantly stopped. This action takes place just before the change takes place at the end of the running-in motion, which will relieve the tension on spring 8 and return the parts to the position shown in Fig. 6.

The set-screw 70* is set so that the roller will be retarded according to the staple, twist per inch, &c., of the yarn to be produced, and

this adjustment is not to be changed by the spinner while these conditions exist. As the cops are filled an increasing amount of slack yarn is given off at the end of each spinning operation, and for this reason the spinner should from time to time unscrew the screw means permitting limited backward movement of the other clutch member with relation to said roller, a weight-actuated wheel, a belt passing about said wheel and the clutch member last named, a stop-finger, and stops on said wheel at opposite sides of said finger, one of said stops being adjustable, substantially as described.

' 2. In a spinning-mule, the combinationwith the feed-roller, a clutch therefor and means for driving one of the members of said clutch,

means permitting limited backward movement of the other clutch member with relation to said roller, a weight-actuated wheel,

a belt passing about said wheel and the clutch member last named,an adjustable stop-finger,

and stops 011 said wheel at opposite sides of said finger,one of said stops being adjustable, substantially as described.

3. In a spinninganule, means for varying the time of starting the feed-ro1ler withrelation to the starting of the carriage, comprising a stop, clutching and roll'actuating mechanism controlled thereby, the tension faller mechanism and means for automatically varying the position of said stop with relation to the position of said faller mechanism, substantially as described.

4. In a-spinning-mule the combination with the feed-roller, a clutch through which said roller is driven, means permitting limited rotation of the fast clutch member with relation to the roller, means for rotating said fast clutch member backwardly when it is separated from the driven member, a stop for limiting the extent of such backward movement, the tension faller mechanism, and

-means controlled thereby for varying the position of said stop, substantially as described.

5. In a spinning-mule the combination with the feed-roller, a clutch through which said roller is driven, means permitting limited rotation of the fast clutch member with relation to the roller, means for rotating said fast clutch member backwardly when it is separated from the driven member, a stop for limiting the extent of such backward movement, a movable support for holding said stop in different positions, the tension faller mechanism, the carriage, a finger carried thereby, connections between said finger and said faller mechanism for varying the position of said finger according to the position of the faller mechanism and means for causing said finger to engage said support when the finger is moved from its normal position, substantially as described.

6. In aspinning-mule, the combination with the feed-roller, a clutch through which said roller is driven, means permitting limited rotation of the fast clutch member with relation to the roller, means for rotating said fast clutch member backwardly when it is separated from the driven member, a stop for limiting the extent of such backward movement, the tension faller mechanism, and means controlled thereby for varying the position of saidstop, said means comprising a sliding block having a series of supportin -faces arranged adjacent each other at different elevations, a weighted arm resting on one of said faces and connected to said stop, a finger on the carriage, means connected to-the tension faller mechanism for varying the position of said finger according to the position of said faller mechanism, means for causing said finger to engage said block and to change the position thereof and permit said weighted arm to move onto a different face, substantially as described.

7. In a spinningmule, the combination with the carriage movable to and from the mulehead, the feed-roller, a clutch therefor and means for driving one of the members of said clutch, means permitting limited backward movement of the other clutch member with relation to said roller, means for rotating the latter clutch member backward when said members are separated at the end of the out ward run of the carriage, and means for looking said latter member on. the roller in its retracted position and for driving the roller independently during the running-in motion of the carriage, substantially as described.

8. In a spinning-mule, the combination with the carriage movable to and from the mulehead, the feed-roller, a clutch therefor and means for driving one of the members of said clutch, means permitting limited backward movement of the other clutch member with relation to said roller, means for rotating the latter clutch member backward when said members are separated at the end of the outward run of the carriage, and means for looking said latter member on the roller in its retracted position, comprising an oscillating arm and means for moving the-same in opposite directions at the end of each movement of the carriage, a locking-clutch on the roller adapted to lock the feed-roller-clutch member in different positions with relation to the roller, connections between said arm and said locking-clutch for moving the latter to lock and unlock said roller-clutch member at the beginning and end of the running-in motion of the carriage, and means, independent of said roller-clutch, for rotating the roller, substantially as described.

9. In a spinning-m ule, the combination with the carriage movable to and from the mulehead, the feed-roller, a clutch therefor and means for driving one of the members of said clutch, means permitting limited backward movement of the other clutch member with relation to said roller, means for rotating the latter clutch member backward when said members are separated at the end of the outward run of the carriage, and means for looking said latter member on the roller in its retracted position, comprising an oscillating arm and means for moving the same in opposite directions at the end of each movement of the carriage, a locking-clutch on the roller adapted to lock the feed-roller-clutch member in different positions with relation to the roller, yielding connections between said arm and said locking-clutch for moving the latter to lock and unlock said roller-clutch member at the beginning and end of the runningin motion of the carriage, and means, independent of said roller-clutch, for rotating the roller, substantially as described.

10. In a spinning-mule the combination with the carriage movable to and from the mulehead, the feed-roller, actuating mechanism therefor operating during the running-out motion of the carriage, retarding mechanism for said actuating mechanism, and means for setting the same at the end of the running- IIO out motion, means for locking said retarding mechanism after it has been set and during the running-in motion, and means for driving said roller independently of its said actuating mechanism during the running-in motion, substantially as described.

11. In a spinning-mule the combination with the feed-roller, a clutch therefor and means for driving one of the members of said clutch, means permitting limited backward movement of the other clutch member with relation to said roller, a weight-actuated wheel, a belt passing about said wheel and the clutch member last named, and stops for limiting the rotation of said wheel in either direction, substantially as described.

12. In a spinning-mule, the combination with the feed-roller, a clutch therefor and means for driving one of the members of said clutch, means permitting limited backward

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