Improvements in Delinting Cotton Seed and Grading the Lint, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th May, 1891-Accepled, 20th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Delinting Cotton Seed and Grading the Lint, and
Apparatus therefor.
A communication from THE KNERR O'BRIEN COTTON SEED CLEANING AND
LINTING COMPANY, LIMITED, of 195, Gravier Street, New Orleans, in the
State of Louisiana, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in delinting cotton seed, in which two or
more linter gins and a series of condensers and rollers are made to operate in
conjunction with one or more delinters; and the objects of the invention are to
enable all lint remaining upon cotton seed after passing through the ordinary
ginning process to be removed, and to grade such lint as it is removed.
These objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, in which ;
Figures 1 and 2 are side views showing linter gins in section, and position of
condensers and rollers.
Figure 3 is a side view showing delinter in section, side view of fan and position
of condenser and roller, also rolls of paper, carriers, arm and needle of sewing
attachment.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
Heretofore cotton seed has been placed in a linter gin or a delinter, the lint
removed from the seed being practically worthless; the objects of the process are
to obviate the objections which have arisen in the existing mode of removing lint
from cotton seed, and to grade the lint as it is removed, and at same time secure,
in a suitable receptacle or package, fine particles of lint that have heretofore been
lost when passing cotton seed through a linter gin or delinter.
For the better understanding of the invention, in the accompanying drawing,
devices are represented, which are used in carrying the process into operation.
Referring by letter to the various parts as shown in Figure 1, A is an ordinary
linter gin, in which the saws are placed in close proximity to each other, say
one fourth of an inch apart. B shows an opening or hopper through which seed
is fed to gin. C is a shute through which cotton seed is discharged, after first
grade of lint has been removed. D is a shute through which lint is carried. E is
a condenser such as is used on an ordinary gin. F is a wooden roller which
upon
lint is batted or wound around after leaving condensers, and which may be cut off
in strips and constitutes the first grade of lint. G are wooden pressure rollers,
one of which is placed above condenser E, and the other above roller F, the roller
placed above F has a slot in end of same as shown by H, which enables the roller
to yield to pressure as the roll of lint increases upon F. K is an arm. upon which
is placed a bell L, and as the roll of lint on F increases, the roller G is raised
until arm K comes in contact with lug M on shaft of roller and causes bell to ring,
thus giving an alarm, and which enables an attendant (who may be in another
portion of the building) to know that the sheet of lint requires cutting. N is a
frame. O and O2 represent a base or floor of building and in the room or
apartment below is also placed a linter gin, condenser and rollers as shown in
Figure 2, the corresponding parts in said figure being designated by letter and
ID
1

page_text: numeral 1, as like parts are shown in Figure 1, the sheet of lint on F being cut.
The delinter as shown in Figure 3 consists of a stationary casing a made either of
wire gauze or of perforated metal with a hopper B2 for admitting cotton seed and
shute C for discharging same. Inside of the casing u, is a revolving parallel
cylinder M², open at both ends. This cylinder is constructed as follows:-
Two heads and e are fastened to a shaft, which shaft has a driving pulley g;
between these heads are fastened a number of vertical bars h, leaving spaces
between said bars. On the outside of these pieces are a number of brushes i, with
flexible backs, fastened in such a manner as to close this space, one end only is
fastened to h, the other end rests loosely on the next piece h. A number of wings
or blades k are fastened between the shaft and pieces. h. is a bearing. The
whole machine is mounted on a suitable frame P, in which there is placed a fan Q,
shute D2, condenser E³, roller G2, rolls of paper R, guide rollers S, sewing machine
arm T with needle attached, which stitches sheets of paper 1 and 2.
In practice, the cotton seed is placed in hopper B of linter gin A, as designated
in Figure 1, and all lint that is removed is discharged from gin A through shute D
upon condenser E, and passes between condenser and roller G, thus forming a slicet
or bat, and, in this condition, is wound around roller F as shown, and is cut off in
strips so as to relieve the roller, enabling the lint to be readily handled, this lint
forming the first grade, the seed is discharged from gin A through shute C into
hopper B of gin A', and passes through a similar process as in gin A., lint as
removed from seed being carried from gin A' through shute D', thence between
roller and condenser, and is wound around roller F, the seed is discharged from
gin A through shute C¹ into hopper B of delinter, as shown in Figure 3, which
operates as follows:-The open parallel cylinder M2 is set in rapid motion and
seed is fed from hopper B2; the loose end of the brushes is by centrifugal force
and the action of the forced air thrown against the casing a, the cotton seed is
dragged around with it, and by rubbing against a and from the action of the
brushes i, the seeds lose all their lint as they gradually descend and are finally
discharged through shute C. The wings act as fans and discharge air through
the space between and i, which keeps the seed cool, and the lint is drawn out by
an exhaust fan Q, and forms the third grade of lint, and is discharged through
shute D upon condenser and roller G2, and thence between strips of paper 1 and 2,
which are sewn in such a manner as to form a receptacle for this particular grade
of lint which has heretofore been lost. A striking advantage of the invention is
the economical manner in which all lint is removed and graded, cleaning the seed
thoroughly and leaving it in a suitable condition for crushing by oil mill..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that the invention is not limited to the precise
details herein described or illustrated, as the same may be varied to some extent,
but that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described method of delinting cotton seed, and placing lint in
batting or sheets of different grades, substantially in the manner herein set forth.
2. The herein described method of delinting cotton seed and placing graded lint
in a paper or textile receptacle, and discharging cleaned seed separately, sub-
stantially in the manner herein set forth.
3. The herein described method of delinting cotton seed by means of two or
more linter gins, and one or more delinters, and grading the lint, during the ginning
or cleaning process, substantially in the manner herein set forth.
4. The herein described method of delinting cotton seed by means of two or
more linter gins, and one or more delinters, and winding the lint upon rollers in
batting or sheets, and separating each grade of lint, substantially in the manner
herein set forth.
5. The herein described method of delinting cotton sced by means of two or
more linter gins, and one or more delinters;.a. series of condensers and rollers: for

page_text: discharging paper from rollers and forming a receptacle for lint, substantially in
the manner herein set forth.
6. The herein described arrangement of parts forming the apparatus for delinting
cotton seed, and grading the lint substantially as set forth.
Dated this 10th day of Mar 1801
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.