IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON GINS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Jones, of the Caerphilly Iron and
Waggon Works, Caerphilly, South Wales, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON GINS."
Sealed the 3rd November 1871, and dated the 19th August 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th August 1871.
I, EDWARD JONES, of the Caerphilly Iron and Waggon Works, Caer-
philly, South Wales, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON Gs," to be as follows:-
In the Provisional Specification to an application for Letters Patent
made by J. R. Macarthur on the 17th Feb. 1871, No. 415, was
described an arrangement of a rotary beater for separating the seed from
the cotton fibre acting in combination with the roller and fixed knife of
that description of cotton gins known as the "Macarthy gin," such
beater consisting of a number of blades (either in one length or in two or
more separate lengths) fixed to the periphery of discs upon a shaft or
axle, and arranged either parallel to such axle or obliquely thereto. I

page_text: have found such beaters act most advantageously when the blades are
fixed obliquely to the axle, but that when they are so placed in one
and the same oblique or spiral direction from one end to the other of
the beater (whether in one length or in. separate lengths), they tend to
drive the cotton fibre towards one end of the leather roller, and thus i
choke the machine.
Now my present Invention has for its object to obviate this defect
while retaining the oblique position of the blades, and consists in con-
structing such blades of two or more separate lengths in the length of
the beater, and in making the oblique position of the one blade the
reverse of that of the next adjoining one, so that as the one blade drives
the seed cotton in one direction along the roller, the adjoining blade will
drive the seed cotton in the contrary direction, and thus the before-
mentioned detrimental effect of each oblique blade will be neutralized.
These blades may either be fixed upon the periphery of discs secured to 1
the axle of the beater, or in place of such discs I fix upon the axle a
cast metal flanged sleeve; the distance between the flanges being made to
correspond with the length of the separate blades, which are fixed to the
periphery of the flanges in such manner as to leave a clear between
the metal of the sleeve and the inner edge of the oblique blado.
space
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th February 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
JONES, of the Caerphilly Iron and Waggon Works, Caerphilly, South 2
Wales, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give g
and grant unto me, the said Edward Jones, Her special licence that I,
the said Edward Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, 'the said Edward Jones, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to

page_text: 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 COTTON GINS," upon the
5 condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Jones, 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
O Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW, KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Jones, 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
5 the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :—
h
In the Provisional Specification to an application for Letters Patent
made by J. R. Macarthur. on the 17th Feb. 1871, No. 415, was
O described an arrangement of a rotary beater for separating the seed from
the cotton fibre acting in combination with the roller and fixed knife of
that description of cotton gins known as the "Macarthy gin," such
beater consisting of a number of blades (either in one length or in two or
more separate lengths) fixed to the periphery of discs upon a shaft or
5 axle, and arranged either parallel to such axle or obliquely thereto. .I
have found that such beaters act most advantageously when the blades
are fixed obliquely to the axle, but that when they are so placed in one
and the same oblique or spiral direction from one end to the other of the
beater (whether in one length or in separate lengths), they tend to drive
O the cotton fibre towards one end of the. leather roller, and thus choke
the machine..
Now my present Invention has for its object to obviate this defect .
while retaining the oblique position of the blades, and consists in con- .
structing such.blades of two or more separate, lengths in the length of
5 the beater, and in making the oblique position of the one blade the
reverse of thint of the next adjoining one, so that as the one blade drives
the seed cotton in one direction along the roller, the adjoining blade will
drive the seed cotton in the contrary direction, and thus the before-.
:

page_text: mentioned detrimental effect of each oblique blade will be neutralized..
These blades may either be fixed upon the periphery of discs secured to
the axle of the beater, or in place of such discs I fix upon the axle a
cast metal flanged sleeve, the distance between the flanges being mado
to correspond with the length of the separate blades, which are fixed to b
the periphery of the flanges in such manner as to leave a clear space
between the metal of the sleeve and the inner edge of the oblique blade.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shows a front view of one form of my improved beater, and
Fig. 2 shews a transverse section of the same on line X, X, Fig. 1, as 1
also a section of the other principal parts of the gin, which however form
no part of my present Invention. Upon the axle A are fixed discs B, B;
to the peripherics of which are attached the oblique blades C, C, C¹, C¹.
Of these blades those. C, O, are fixed in such an oblique. position
relative to the axle A as to tend to drive the seed cotton towards the 1
blades C¹, C, on the rotation of the beater in the direction of the arrow,,
while the oblique position of C¹, C., is made the reverse of C, C; so as to
tend to drive the seed cotton back towards C, C.
In Fig. 2, D is the leather roller and E the fixed knife of the ordinary
Macarthy gin; F is a grid or grating over which the seed cotton is 2
carried from the feed board F to the leather roller by the rotating
beater, and through which the seeds fall as they are separated from the
cotton fibre by the action of the beater. G is a cover enclosing the
rotary beater, an opening being left over the feed board for the intro-
duction of the seed cotton. Rapid rotary motion being imparted to the 2
beater either by a band and pulley or by toothed gearing, its blades
alternately catch the seed cotton and throw it against the roller D,
- which drags the cotton fibre under the knife E, leaving the seed at its
edge. The beater blades in rising separate the seeds from the cotton
and carry them away from the knife, together with any cotton not 3
caught by the roller, such cotton being again carried to the roller by the
continued rotation of the beater. The spaces existing between the inner
edges of the beater blades and the axle A allow of the free escape of the
surplus cotton carried round by the beater, and thus prevent the choking
of the latter.
Fig. 3 shews a front view and Fig. 4 shews a transverse section on
line Y. Ý. of another modification of my improved heaton
Tina h
3

page_text: :
axle A is fixed a cast-metal sleeve H, having flanges H, upon the
peripheries of which are fixed the oblique blades 0, 0, 0, 0³. These
blades are fixed in alternately reversed oblique positions as shewn, so
that the blades C in rotating tend to drive the seed cotton towards the
blades C³, while these tend to drive the cotton back towards O; and the
blades C² tend to drive the cotton towards C³, while these tend to drive it
back towards C. Clear spaces are left between the inner edges of the.
blades and the surface of the sleeve H for the free escape of the surplus
cotton, as described in the previous arrangement.
In both the before-described arrangements the beater blades may
either be constructed with a curvature, as shewn in the Drawing, so as
to form portions of right and left handed helices, or they may be formed
straight and laid obliquely relative to the axle.
.
:
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood. that I
do not claim generally the placing the beater blades in an oblique
position relative to the axle of the beater, as this was already described
in the aforesaid Provisional Specification of J. R. Macarthur, but what I
claim is, constructing rotary beaters to cotton gins with portions of the
blades slanted in one direction and other portions of the blades slanted
in the reverse direction, substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Jones, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two..