IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON.
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON. A communication from
abroad by A. A. Goldsmith of Charleston in the County of Charleston and
CE
2
A
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th March 1882.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING
COTTON" [A communication from abroad by A. A. Goldsmith of Charleston in
the County of Charleston and State of South Carolina, United States of America.]
These improvements relate to machines for whipping cotton and the Invention
consists in rotary and reciprocating whippers of novel construction which perform
the work without injury to the staple as hereinafter described.
The complete machine consists of two portions which for convenience of being
used separately as sometimes required, are mounted on detached frames. The first
part of the machine consists of an enclosed box of oblong rectangular form provided
with an inclined bottom of wire cloth or perforated material. At the upper end
of the box is a feed spout, and longitudinally of the box extends a shaft on which
the whipping blades or arms are fixed.
These blades or arms are formed of metal or other suitable material and arranged
in spiral lines. The bottom of the box is rounded and the blades extend nearly in
contact therewith. On the end of the whipper shaft within the spout are curved
arms or rods which take the cotton from the spout and carry it downward into
the box. At the lower end of the box is a delivery opening from which a spout
extends to the second part of the machine. In the box above the whipper shaft
is a shaft carrying a long roller which is formed with longitudinal fans or blades.
The shafts are connected together by a belt running on pulleys on the shafts. A
11

page_text: bevel pinion on the whipper shaft meshes with a similar pinion on a cross shaft
that is driven by belt from a main driving shaft.
The second part of the machine consists of an open ended box placed to receive
the cotton from the spont. This box has a bottom of coarse wire cloth sustained
at its ends on spiral springs. The sides of the box are made double or hollow and
the outer walls are slotted and fitted with slide ways to receive slides that connect
by rods to cranks on a cross shaft beneath the box by which the slides are moved
up and down. Within the hollow sides are bars attached to the slides and
provided with beating or whipping arms that extend, into the box through slots in
the inner walls. The cranks to which the slides connect are placed at opposite
sides of the cross shaft so that the beaters at one side are raised over the bottom
while those at the other side are upon or near the bottom. Beneath the bottom is
an inclined board leading to a door at which the refuse material passing through
the bottom is to be taken out.
In operation the cotton is placed in the feed spout at the upper end of the first
portion of the apparatus and is carried down into the box by the feeding arms on
the whipper shaft where it is taken by the whippers which thoroughly separate
the cotton and carry it forward to the delivery end without cutting the staple, the
perforated bottom allowing the escape of dust. The roller above the whipper
shaft acts to press the cotton into contact with the whippers. From the spout at
the lower end the cotton falls upon the spring bottom of the second part of the
apparatus and is caught by the reciprocating whippers. These moving in opposite
directions act to separate the cotton and also prevent clogging, the spring bottom
facilitating the operation.
The second part of the machine may be used alone or in conjunction with the
rotary whippers according to the condition of the cotton.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th September 1882.
1.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex,:
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING
COTTON." A communication from abroad. by A. A. Goldsmith of Charleston in
the County of Charleston and State of South Carolina, United States of America
.These improvements relate to machines for opening and cleaning cotton, and the
Invention consists in rotary and reciprocating whippers of novel construction
which perform the work without injury to the staple, as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the
machine. Figure 2 is a plan view of the same. Figure 3 is a transverse section
on line xx of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a transverse section on line y-y of
Figure 1. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
The complete machine consists of two portions which for convenience of being
used separately, as sometimes required, are mounted on detached frames. The first
part of the machine consists of an enclosed box A of oblong, rectangular form
provided with an inclined bottom a of wire cloth or perforated material. At the
upper end of the box A is a feed spout b, and longitudinally of the box, extends
a shaft B on which the whipping blades or armis c are fixed. The blades or arms c
are formed of metal or other suitable material and arranged in spiral lines. The
bottom a of the box is rounded and the blades extend nearly in contact therewith.
On the end of the shaft B within the spout b are curved arms or rods & which
take the cotton from the spout and carry it downward into the box A. At the
lower end of the box A is a delivery opening from which a spout e extends to the
second part of the machine. In the box A above shaft B is a shaft g carrying a
long roller f which is formed with longitudinal fans or blades. This shaft g has a
pulley at its upper end connected by a belt to a pulley on shaft B. A bevel
pinion on the shaft B meshes with a similar pinion on a cross shaft i that is
driven by a belt from a main shaft k.
The second part of the machine consists of an open ended box C placed to
receive the cottom from spout e. This box has a bottom of coarse wire cloth
sustained at its ends on spiral springs m m.
The sides of box C are made double
or hollow as shown in Figure 4, and the outer walls are slotted and fitted with
slide ways n to receive the slides o o that connect by rods p p to cranks on a
cross shaft q by which the slides are moved up and down. Within the hollow
sides are bars attached to the slides o and provided with beating or whipping
arms s that extend into box C through slots in the inner walls. The cranks to
which the slides o connect are placed at opposite sides of shaft q so that the
beaters 8 at one side are raised over the bottom while those at the other side are
upon or near the bottom. Beneath the bottom is an inclined board t leading to
a door u at which the refuse material passing through the bottom is to be
taken out.
In operation, the cotton is placed in the spout b, and by the feeding arms d is
carried down into the box A where it is taken by the whippers c.
These act to
thoroughly separate the cotton and carry it forward to the delivery end without
cutting the staple and the perforated bottom allows escape of dust. The roller f
acts to press the cotton into contact with the whippers. From the spout e the
cotton falls upon the spring bottom land is caught by the reciprocating whippers 8.
These moving in opposite directions, act to separate the cotton and also prevent
clogging, the spring bottom facilitating the operation.

page_text: . The second part of the machine may be used alone or in conjunction with the
rotary whippers, according to the condition of the cotton.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is.
1st. The reciprocating whippers s and spring bottom of wire cloth combined
with box C, substantially as shown and described.
2nd. The combination of the reciprocating slides o, bars r, whipping arms s,
and spring. bottom 7, substantially as shown and described for operation as set
forth.
3rd. The combination of the reciprocating whippers s and rotary whippers c,
substantially as shown and described
4th. The bottom a of perforated material, shaft B provided with blades c
'box A, and feed spout b, combined for operation, substantially as shown and
described.
5th. The fan roller f and revolving shaft g combined with the shaft B provided
with whippers c, substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
my hand and seal this twenty eighth day of September, A.D. 1882.
A M CLARK