IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES FOR PRESSING AND PACKING COTTON, WOOL, SILK, HAY, STRAW, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Thornton, of No. 2, Grosvenor Street,
Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES FOR PRESSING AND PACKING COTTON, WOOL, SILK,
HAY, STRAW, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 11th November 1864, and dated the 4th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Thornton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
August 1864.
I, FRANCIS THORNTON, of No. 2, Grosvenor Street, Camberwell, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES FOR PRESSING AND PACKING COTTON, WOOL,
SILK, HAY, STRAW, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in presses for pressing and
For this
packing cotton, wool, silk, hay, straw, and similar substances.
purpose I employ a carriage mounted on wheels, suitable either for running
on a common road or railway. At each end of the carriage is a trunk of which
the depth and the breadth correspond with those of the bale it is desired to
produce, and the length sufficient to contain enough loose cotton or material,
to make a bale. Each of these trunks has a piston or platten within it, and
the two pistons or plattens are connected together with a strong rod or pillar
on which a screw thread is formed. On the screw. thread is a nut held in
bearings in the frame which allow it to turn, but not to traverse longitudinally,

page_text: and worm teeth are cut on the periphery of the nut with which a worm gears.
This worm is formed on a cranked shaft which is turned by a steam cylinder
and connecting rod, the cylinder being fixed on a vertical or other boiler or
on standards on the carriage, the boiler is however so connected with the
carriage that it may be detached therefrom if desired, and the crank shaft and
worm upon it may then be turned by manual labour. The cotton or material
to be packed is introduced into the two trunks alternately through suitable
doors or openings in them, and the trunk when filled or about to be filled is
closed at its outer end by a plate or cover as is herein-after described, then by
setting the piston or platten in motion from the centre towards the end of the
carriage by means of the worm wheel, the screw nut, and screw, the cotton or
material is compressed. In order to receive and retain the compressed cotton
or material the plate or cover which is used to close the end of the trunk has
a skeleton frame attached to it of the size of the bale to be made. The bars
are attached to the plate or cover at one end, and at the other are held together
by a ring. This skeleton frame then enters the end of the trunk, and is then
secured, and the piston presses the cotton or material into it. At the end of
the piston there is a removable disc or end, which when it comes up to the
skeleton frame catches on to it with a spring catch. As soon as this takes
place the plate or cover at the end of the trunk is set free, and then the
further motion of the piston carries the bale enclosed in the skeleton frame
out of the trunk; the bale is then received on to a carriage and removed from
the piston by detaching the disc from its end. The bale is bound before
releasing it from the skeleton frame, but the press does not wait whilst this is
being done, it is only necessary to apply another disc or end to the piston and
it is ready again to go to work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Thornton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
THORNTON, of No. 2, Grosvenor Street, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said Francis Thornton, Her special licence that I, the said Francis
Thornton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Francis Thornton, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PRESSES FOR PRESSING AND PACKING COTTON, WOOL, SILK, HAY, STRAW,
AND BIMILAR SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Francis Thornton, 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 Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Thornton, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation, partly in section, of a pair of presses con-
structed and worked according to my Invention; Figure 2 shows a plan of
one of the presses.;. Figure 3 shows part of a side elevation on a larger scale
in order that some of the details may be shown more clearly; and Figures 4
show some, of the details separately. The pair of presses is arranged in such
manner that the piston or plunger of each are both attached to one piston rod
and at the respective ends thereof, so that as the piston or plunger of one is
moved to compress the cotton or other fibrous substance into a bale, the
piston or plunger of the other is moved back so as to leave the trunk or box
vacant, to receive a charge, consequently a bale is made alternately in each of
the two presses.
At the outer end of each trunk or box is a separate frame,
the skeleton or framing of which is of strength to receive and have compressed
within it the charge which is introduced into the trunk or box, and when the
bale has been thus compressed in such frame, the frame with the bale is de-
tached from the end of the box or trunk, and from the piston whilst the side
of the bale against which the piston has previously pressed is retained under
pressure by means of bars or other arrangements previously received into

page_text: recesses in the face of the piston or plunger such bars or instruments being
locked to the frame of the receiving chamber within the frame at the end of
the trunk or box.
A and B are the two trunks or boxes of the two presses, and A1, B1, are the
two frames which are applied at the respective outer ends of the two boxes or
trunks. The frames A¹, B', are lined on the interior, and are formed with
doors to remove the bale after it has been properly lashed or bound, and it may
be stated that the lashing or binding of a bale is similar to that now in ordi-
nary use.
C is the piston rod, to the two ends of which the pistons working
in the two trunks or boxes A and B are fixed. In the arrangement shown
the piston rod is formed into a screw in order that it may be moved to and fro
by means of a screw nut D, which works in bearings on two fixed blocks E, E,
and the screw nut is in the centre of the nave or boss of a screw wheel F;
which is worked by a worm shaft G, which receives motion by a steam engine
arranged intermediate of the two trunks or boxes of the pair of presses.
I would however state that other arrangements may be made for causing the
piston rod of the two plungers or pistons to move first in one direction and
then in the other. When either of the piston rods is in the position of the one
shown in the trunk or box A, the door at the upper part of the box or trunk
is opened, and a charge of cotton or other fibrous material is introduced. The
door is then shut and fastened, and the outward movement of the piston then
takes place by which the cotton or fibrous substance is driven into and com-
pressed in the frame at the outer end of the trunk or box which for the time
is secured to the outer end of the box or trunk by means of the projecting
ends of the bars at the four angles of such frame, entering suitable sockets or
recesses H, H, formed in the framing at the ends of the trunks or boxes, and
the four ends of the bars of the detachable frame are secured into position by
bolts I, I, or the parts of the frames A', B¹, which enter and connect with the
frames of the boxes or trunks A and B may be otherwise attached and securely
held for a time so as to form as it were in each case part of the trunk or box
of the
press. When the piston or plunger of a press has completed its out-
ward motion, the piston is withdrawn a short distance when the door K is
opened, and bars are introduced along grooves L formed in the face of the
piston, the piston is then caused to move outwards and push the bars over
lugs on the frame A' or B¹, the rods or bars are retained in position by means
of keys M, or the bars or instruments used for retaining the bales in the
frames A', B', may be otherwise arranged to be locked into the frames by
spring or other latches or stops applied to the frames, and as soon as tho
fastening of the bale within a frame A' or B', has been accomplished that

page_text: frame with the bale therein may be detached by withdrawing the bolts I, or
other fastenings employed, and the parts of the frames A' and B' may then
be detached from the ends of the box or trunk by causing the piston to be
moved outwards a distance requisite for that purpose; or the frames A¹, B¹,
may be removed in other suitable manner. The Drawing shows the two
presses combined together with a steam engine for working them, forming one
carriage mounted on four railway wheels, but wheels suitable for running on
other roads may be used in place thereof. The frames A¹, B', are also each
mounted on four wheels. The bale having been thus produced in a frame
A or B is after it has been bound or lashed delivered by the opening of
the doors.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim any
of the details or mechanical parts separately, but what I claim is, the mode
herein described of combining and working two presses.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Thornton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
FRANCIS THORNTON. (L.s.)