IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF DRIVING CYLINDERS AND DOFFERS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas. Holden, of Rawtenstall, in the County of
Lancaster, Carder for Messrs. Peter Whitehead and Sons, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF DRIVING CYLINDERS AND DOFFERS
Sealed the 29th November 1864, and dated the 3rd June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Holden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd June 1864.
I, THOMAS HOLDEN, of Rawtenstall, in the County of Lancaster, Carder for
Messrs. Peter Whitehead and Sons, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF DRIVING CYLINDERS AND
DOFFERS OF CARDING ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in a method of driving cylinders and doffers, whereby
I can at all times keep the main driving strap on the pullies instead of
removing it, and adapting another, as is usual for the operation of grinding.
Upon the main shaft I use the ordinary fast-and-loose pullies, but to the latter
I adapt another pulley, which communicates rotatory motion to a pulley
running loose upon the boss of the doffer driving wheel. This last-mentioned
pulley is provided with a friction surface capable of being slidden into contact

page_text: with another friction surface fast upon the doffer shaft; when therefore these
two friction surfaces are brought together, and the main driving strap is placed
upon the ordinary loose pulley, the doffer will be driven in a backward
direction suitable for being ground. For grinding the main cylinder I place
a strap upon a pulley on the doffer shaft at the other side of the engine, which
strap passes over another pulley upon the axis of the main cylinder. For
sliding the above-mentioned friction surfaces in and out of contact I employ
pulley handle, upon the boss of which there is a screw provided with a nut
connected to the loose friction surface. This screw I chase with a thread,
which, upon being turned by hand, effects the contact of the friction surfaces,
but its thread in relation to the revolution of the doffer is such that when the
pulley handle is held, the nut runs the friction surfaces out of gear. I have
spoken above of pullies and straps for communicating motion between the
cylinder and the doffer, but it will be obvious that toothed gearing may be
employed in place thereof, and also that toothed wheels to slide in and out of
gear may be used instead of the friction surfaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Holden in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HOLDEN, of Rawtenstall, in the County of Lancaster, Carder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, 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 Thomas Holden, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Holden, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas.
Holden, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to 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 THE METHOD
OF DRIVING CYLINDERS AND DOFFERS OF CARDING ENGINES," upon the condition,
amongst others, that I, the said Thomas Holden, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-

page_text: formed, 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 Thomas Holden, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
Fig. 1 is a partial .side view of a carding engine constructed according to
my Invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.
The main cylinder is at A, upon the shaft of which are the usual fast-and-
loose pulleys a, b. The cylinder shaft also carries another pulley c fast with
the loose pulley, and provided with a strap, which passes from thence over
another pulley & mounted loose upon the boss of the ordinary doffer driving
wheel e. Upon the boss of the pulley d is mounted a ring f, so as to run
loosely thereon, and it is retained in that position by brackets h projecting
over a flange formed on the said ring for that purpose. Attached to the
ring fare rods i, which at their other ends project into sockets formed within
a nut mounted upon a screw 1, which is formed upon a pulley handle m,
mounted so as to be capable of turning loosely upon the shaft n of the doffer.
The other end of this doffer shaft n carries a pulley o, upon which a strap may
be placed (as hereafter to be mentioned), so as to communicate motion to a
pulley p on the main cylinder shaft. The operation is as follows:-During the
ordinary operation of carding, the driving strap is on the fast pulley, and the
cylinder and other parts of the carding engine are driven as usual. The
strap q also remains on the pulleys c, d, but as the latter as well as the former
of these is loose upon its shaft it will revolve without producing any effect;
at this time, however, the strap r between the pulleys o and p is removed to
be adapted as presently to be described, and thus the usual operation of
carding will go on, and as the ring f is mounted loosely upon the boss of the
pulley d the said ring will remain stationary, and will not communicate any
motion to the nut k. When it is desired, according to the object of
my Inven-
tion, to grind the doffer, then the attendant will shift the main driving strap
on to the loose pulley b, so that the motion of the machine will be arrested.
The pulley handle m is then turned in the direction of the arrow, whereby the
nut k will be caused to travel thereon, it being itself prevented from turning
by the rods i passing through the boss of the doffer driving wheel e, the
consequence of this will be that the ring f and pulley d will also be carried
forward, bringing a friction cone s framed in the said pulley into contact with
another cone t formed upon the pulley u which is fast upon the shaft n of the

page_text: o and
P,
doffer. It now follows that the doffer shaft is driven from the ordinary loose
pulley, the extra pulley c being fast therewith, and as the strap 9 is crossed
the doffer cylinder will be driven in a direction suitable for being ground, that
is to say, in the direction opposite to that in which it revolved for carding.
When the main cylinder is to be ground the strap is placed upon the pulleys 5
and the said cylinder also will then rotate suitably for being ground.
As these motions proceed from the loose pulley, it will of course be seen that
the motion of the ordinary parts of the machine are arrested, the doffer
driving wheel e being put out of gear as usual. During the above-described
operation of grinding, the pulley handle m will be caused to revolve by reason
and
of the rods i passing through the wheel e which is fast upon the shaft n,
when it is desired to disengage the cones s, t, so as to arrest the backward
motion of the doffer and cylinder, the attendant places his hand upon the said
pulley handle so as to prevent it from revolving, and it then acts as a nut to
draw back the ring f, and effects the required disengagement of the cones. I
have above alluded to the use of pulleys and straps for communicating motion
between the cylinder and doffer, but it will be ovious that toothed gearing
may be employed in place thereof, and also that toothed wheels to slide in and
out of gear may be used instead of the friction surfaces.
upon
Another method of carrying my Invention into operation is shewn at Fig. 3,
in which a is the main cylinder, upon the shaft 6 of which are mounted the
ordinary fast-and-loose pulleys c, d, and upon the same shaft is an extra
pulley e fast with the loose pulley c, and of sufficient breadth to admit of the
crossed strap being shifted on to one or the other of two pulleys g, h, mounted
the doffer shaft i. The former of these pulleys 9 is fast on the shaft,
and the latter is loose. The operation is as follows:-During the ordinary
operation of carding, the main driving strap is on the fast pulley c, and as the
pulleys e and h are loose they remain stationary. When the doffer is to be
ground, the main driving strap is placed on the loose pulley d, and the strap f
is shifted on to the fast pulley g; motive power will now be communicated to
the doffer by the ordinary loose pulley d, and as the trap f is crossed the
motion will be reversed according to the requirement for grinding. For
grinding the main cylinder I apply pulleys o, p, and a strap r, as shewn at
Fig. 2, and previously explained. It will now be perceived that according to
the above arrangements the main driving strap is not removed for the grinding
operation, but that it is merely shifted from one pulley to another.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood that
I claim, as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, the

page_text: arrangements above described, whereby I am enabled to keep the main
driving strap on the fast or loose pulley.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Holden, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
THOMAS HOLDEN. (LS.)