IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING COTTON FLAX OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING COTTON FLAX OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES"
Sealed the 8th August 1864, and dated the 9th February 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th February
1864.
I, JOHN SMITH, of Bradford, in the County of York, Mechanical Engineer,'
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR. APPARATUS FOR COMBING COTTON, FLAX, OR OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:
This Invention-relates to machinery for which Letters Patent were granted
to me, dated February 7th, 1859, No. 346, and the present improvements
consist; firstly; in forming or constructing the threads or grooves of the screws
or cams employed to impel the combs forward in the line of travel in such
variable pitch or form that each comb when raised into the fibres, and also
into.contact with the said cams or screws, will remain' stationary or not move
forward until the next succeeding comb-has been raised into the 'fibres and
also entered the grooves of the cams or screws close to the, former comb, the
preceding combs being impelled forward in the line of travel to separate the
fibres as heretofore; secondly, in the application of tumblers or inclined slide

page_text: frames, also levers and fallers or carriers, which carry or cause the combs after
the separation of the fibres to travel up the inclined frames in succession, and
then to drop or be delivered direct into line at the end of the preceding comb,
and thereby prevent the "beards" or points of the combed fibres projecting
from each comb from coming into contact with each other again, the tumblers
or slide frames being hinged to allow the carriers to return to the proper
position to receive the next comb; thirdly, in arranging the straps or carrying
belts which receive the slivers of fibre as they are taken from the combs, so as
to conduct the several slivers all to one point or place on the machine, where
they are joined together and drawn off into one sliver by a series of ordinary
drawing rollers; fourthly, in the employment of a series of knives or plates of
metal or other suitable material instead of dabbing brushes for pressing the
fibres into the teeth of the combs; or inverted combs may be employed and
arranged in such manner as to press the fibres into the teeth, and travel with
the working combs during a certain part of their travel, then to be raised off
and conducted in a separate line or route until they are again brought into
position for pressing the fibrous substances into the teeth of the working
combs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SMITH, of Bradford, in the County of York, Mechanical Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Smith, Her special licence that I, the said John
Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should'
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and 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 FOR COMBING COTTON, FLAX, OR OTHER

page_text: FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Smith, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 John Smith, 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, that is to say :-
. This Invention relates to machinery for which Letters Patent were granted
to me, dated February 7th, 1859, No. 346, and the present improvements
consist, firstly, in forming or constructing the threads or grooves of the screws
or cams employed to impel the combs forward in the line of travel in such
variable pitch or form that each comb when raised into the fibres, and also into
contact with the said cams or screws, will remain stationary or not move
forward until the next succeeding comb has been raised into the fibres and
also.entered the grooves of the cams or screws close to the former comb, the
preceeding combs being impelled forward in the line of travel to separate the
fibres as heretofore; secondly, in the application of tumblers or inclined slide
frames, also levers and fallers or carriers, which carry or cause the combs after
the separation of the fibres to travel up the inclined frames, in succession, and.
then to drop or be delivered direct into line at the end of the preceeding comb,
and thereby prevent the "beards" or points of. the combed fibres projecting
from.each comb. from coming into contact with each other again, the tumblers
or slide frames being hinged to allow the carriers to return to the proper
position to receive the next comb; thirdly, in arranging the straps or. carrying
belts which receive the slivers of fibre as they are taken from the combs so as.
to conduct the several slivers all to one point or place on the machine, where.
they are joined together and drawn off into one sliver by a series of ordinary
drawing rollers; fourthly, in the.employment of a series of knives or plates of
metal or other suitable material instead. of dabbing brushes for pressing the
fibres into the teeth. of the combs; or. inverted combs may be employed and
arranged in such manner as to press the fibres into the teeth, and travel with
the working combs.during a certain part of their travel, then to be raised off
and conducted in a separate line or route until they are. again brought into
position. for pressing the fibrous substances into the teeth of the working
combs.:

page_text: By reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings these improvements
will be readily understood. Fig. 1 is an end elevation, Fig. 2 a front eleva-
tion, and Fig. 3 plan of amachine constructed generally according to the
Specification of the Patent herein-before referred to, but with my present
improvements applied thereto; Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the screws or
cams half full size; Fig. 5 is an end view; and Fig. 6 is a development of the
same shewing the surface of the screw unfolded in order to illustrate. its
peculiar formation.
A represents the said screws as applied to the machine to receive and impel
the combs B forward and cause them to separate; B' are a pair of levers fixed
on a shaft, to which is fixed a lever B2 attached to a rod B³, which is actuated
by a tappet B' to press the combs on to the cam part a of the screws A, which
raises the said combs into the fibre as it is fed at the spout C, and also into
the grooves of the screws which carry the combs forward in their prescribed
order and line of travel; D are the tumblers or inclined slide frames hinged
to the frame, and D₁ are the carriers, which are hinged to levers D², which are
actuated by a rod D³ attached thereto and to a crank D; these carriers take
each comb in succession from the screws A, and .carry.. it up the incline
and deposit it in the conducting groove E (shewn.in. detail at Fig. 7);
returning under the inclines to take the next.comb, and so on. A lever. F;
actuated by a cam F¹, presses the comb thus deposited against the end of the
preceding comb G, when it is taken hold of and carried forward in the groove
by worms H. The cotton or other fibre partly combed by the separating of
the combs on the screws A, and passing up the inclines, is now, drawn off on
each side in two slivers by two pairs of ordinary drawing-off rollers I and J,
from which it is carried or conducted by belts K and L. to the frame of
drawing rollers M, where they are united and drawn off in one sliver. In these
Drawings I have only shewn a single machine, but it must be understood that
the screws' A, combs B, inclines C, and other parts in connection may be
applied to the other end of the frame (under the drawing rollers M), when the
combs will be conducted along the grooves N¹, and the cotton drawn off by the
two pairs of drawing rollers O, P, and carried by the belts Q, R, to the
'drawing rollers M, where these two slivers are also united and drawn off with
the former two in. one sliver. S is the ordinary dabbing brush for pressing the
'fibre into the teeth of the combs, but instead of this brush a series of knives
or plates may be used in a similar manner, and which will only be required to
act or press on each of the combs as they are in succession placed in the
stationary position under the said knives or plates, or another similar series of
combs may be employed in an inverted position, teeth to teeth, so that the

page_text: inverted combs will ride on the working combs, and travel with them except
when raised off or lifted therefrom, which may be effected by causing the said
inverted combs to travel up an inclined rail after passing the drawing-off
rollers, and then lower on to the working combs after they have been lifted
into the fibre and placed on the grooves of the screws, the fibre being thereby
pressed into the teeth of both combs, which then travel together past the
drawing-off rollers, when the inverted combs will be again lifted to receive the
feed of fibre, and again lowered, pressing and holding the said fibre past the
next drawing-off rollers, and so on.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
JOHN SMITH. (L.S.)