AN IMPROVED INDEX COUNTER, SHOWING WHEN TO CUT OFF DEFINITE QUANTITIES OF WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER MATERIALS TAKEN FROM A CARDING MACHINE OR ROLLER FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Silver Hall and Charles
Dickinson West at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th De-
cember 1877
WILLIAM SILVER HALL and CHARLES DICKINSON WEST, of Nuneaton, in the
County of Warwick, Engineers "AN IMPROVED INDEX COUNTER, SHOWING WHEN
TO CUT OFF DEFINITE QUANTITIES OF WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER MATERIALS TAKEN
FROM A CARDING MACHINE OR ROLLER FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS AND
OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to an improved eriometer or index counter, showing when
to cut off definite quantities of wool, cotton, or other materials taken from a carding
machine or roller for the manufacture of hats and other purposes, and is especially
applied to the manufacture of felt hats, and its object is to provide a means for
ascertaining when a sufficient quantity of wool has been passed from the carding
machine on to the hat former. For this purpose a dial is provided, graduated and
figured up to any number that may be desired; the dial is furnished with a hand to
which motion is given in a manner that will be described; this hand indicates when
the required quantity of wool has passed from the carding machine, and thus the
person in charge of the machine is shown the proper moment for cutting off. At
each cutting off the hand returns to zero
Motion is given to the hand in the following manner :-On the axle of the hand
there is a worm wheel, into which gears a worm; the axle of this worm passes
through to the outside of the dial case, and is there furnished with a grooved pulley
suitable for carrying a strap or cord, and this strap or cord passes over a second
grooved pulley fitted on some convenient rotating part of the carding machine.
For the purpose of enabling the hand to return to zero at each cutting off the
following mechanism is provided:-One end of the worm axle is held in a swivel
bearing, and the other in a sliding bearing; a slight motion of the sliding bearing
will bring the worm in or out of gear with the worm wheel, motion is given to the
sliding bearing by means of a lever, which lever is placed in a convenient position
within easy reach of the operative, and may be made folding, telescopic, or
removeable, so that it may be readily got out of the way when required.

page_text: When the shears or scissors used in cutting off are hung on the end of this lever,
their weight forces the lever down a little, and thus brings the worm into gear with
the worm wheel; a spring connected with the sliding bearing throws the worm out
of gear as soon as the shears are removed. A spring on the axle of the hand
causes it to return to zero as soon as the worm is thrown out of gear. The lever
may also be worked either by the hand or foot, or by hanging any form of weight
on it; but we prefer to work it in the manner described. A stop is provided
against which the hand rests when at zero.
To prevent the hand being overwound and the instrument thus damaged, the
teeth of the worm wheel for a portion of its circumference, so that when this smooth 1
part of the wheel arrives at the worm, the latter can no longer impart motion to it.
The form of the counter may be varied without invalidating our claim. Thus, a
train of bevel or spur wheels and pinions may be substituted for the worm and
worm wheel, and instead of a rotating hand an index moving in a straight line
may be used, and instead of the worm and worm wheel, a rack and pinion, or rack 1
and worm may be adopted. The essential points of our Invention being that the
haud or index shall return to zero at each repetition of the cutting off process,
that the counter be guarded from overwinding by the cutting away of a portion
of the teeth of the worm wheel, spur wheel, or rack, and the arrangement where-
by the counter is started or stopped by hanging the shears or scissors, or other 2
weight on the lever, or by otherwise imparting motion thereto.
It is also obvious that this counter may be applied not only to the manufacture
of hats, but to any manufacture when a repetition of definite quantities of wool,
cotton, or other material is required to be taken from a carding machine or roller