IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, ROLLING, COMPRESSING, AND WINDING TOBACCO. MACHINERY FOR, AND WINDING TOBACCO
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Butterworth, of Oldham, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, ROLLING, COMPRESSING, AND WINDING TOBACCO.
MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, ROLLING, COMPRESSING, AND WINDING TOBACCO.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Butterworth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th July 1875.
I, THOMAS BUTTERWORTH, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, ROLLING, COMPRESSING, AND WINDING
TOBACCO," to be as follows
My Invention refers mainly to improvements upon machinery for the
purposes above named for which Letters Patent were granted unto me
dated July Eighth A. D., 1871, and Numbered 1793, and my improve-
ments relate,
Firstly. To the mechanism for rolling the tobacco. This is accom-
plished, as described in the Specification of my said Patent, by three

page_text: rollers by preference, which are caused to revolve upon their axis, and at
the same time to move to and fro in the direction of the lengthway of
their axis, the said rollers acting upon the tobacco intermittently, that
is, piessing upon while rolling against the tobacco, and moving forward
with it at the same time, and then releasing the tobacco and moving
back.
This part of my improvements consist in causing three or more rollers
to roll the tobacco as described in the Specification of my aforesaid
Patent, but the rollers do not move to and fro endways with the tobacco
while rolling as hitherto, but simply revolve. The rollers act inter-
mittently as described in my aforesaid Specification, but this action is
made more frequent by suitable gearing and a cam or other equivalent
means.
.
This part of my Invention also consists in making three (by
preference) or more rollers revolve on their axis simply, one of the
rollers in bearings on an adjustable swing frame being excentric or cam
shaped, so as to act upon the tobacco during a part or parts of its
revolution, and release the tobacco during the other part or parts of its
revolution.
This part of my Invention also consists in combining with two rollers
known as 56
segmental rollers," a stationary roller revolving simply
without end motion, but acting intermittently upon the tobacco as it
passes, or by combining the excentric or cam roller above named with
the said segmental rollers.
Secondly. My Invention consists in combining four rollers by
preference to roll the tobacco, that is, two rollers of large diameters, and
one of smaller diameter to act upon the tobacco, the fourth roller
pressing upon and revolving in contact with the smaller roller The
fourth roller is geered to revolve reverse to the two larger rollers and
drives the smaller roller by friction of contact. The small roller is in
spring or other bearings attached to the bearings for the fourth roller,
and consequently when this is lifted by cam or other action, the small
roller is lifted away from the tobacco The small roller may be made to
rotate excentrically in stationary bearings, and the fourth roller which
drives it by contact may rise and fall as the small roller approaches or
recedes from the tobacco.
Either of these combinations of rollers may be used as described under

page_text: the first head of this Specification, or while having rotary they may also
have end motion as described in the Specification of my aforesaid Patent.
My Invention also consists in combining the said small roller
revolving in contact with the larger roller, with two segmental rollers
before mentioned.
In carrying out the first and second parts of my Invention, when the
rollers have no end motion, the tobacco whule being twisted is wound up
continuously, but if desired it may be wound up intermittently.
Thirdly My Invention relates to the mechanism for winding up the
tobacco as it is spun, and consists in a simplification of the mechanism
for giving traversing motion to the pulley which works upon the fixed
disc, described in the Specification of my said Patent, and consists in
giving rotary motion from the bobbin to a short shaft in bearings in the
flyor frame, the other end of the shaft having a worm which gcars with
a toothed wheel or segment that has a straight or scroll arm upon it, the
straight arm is connected with the fork that traverses the pulley, or
the scroll arm has a spring or clastic piece of metal or other flexible
material or a chain attached to it so as to bend upon the scroll, the
other end of the spring or chain being attached to a rod connected to
the fork for traversing the pulley. A cam may be used in place of
the arms or scroll, this cam acting upon a bowl on a stud secured in
a piece from the above-mentioned fork
Instead of acting upon the fork to move the pulley, the pulley may
be secured to the shaft, and the shaft may be acted upon by the
mechanism above named.

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Butterworth, Her
special license that J, the said Thomas Butterworth, my executors,
adininistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Butterworth, my executois, 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 MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, ROLLING, COM-
PRESSING, AND WINDING TOBACCO," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Butterworth, 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 Scal 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. Butterworth, do hereby
declare the nature of iny said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and the accompanying Drawings (that is to
say) -
My Invention refers mainly to improvements upon machinery for the
purposes above named, for which Letters patent were granted unto me
dated July Eighth, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-one, and Numbered 1793, and my improvements relate,-
Firstly. To the mechanism (described in the Specification of my said
Patent) for rolling tobacco by three rollers by preference, which are
caused to revolve upon their axes, and at the same time to move to and
fro in the direction of the lengthway of their axes, the said rollers acting
upon the tobacco intermittently, that is, pressing upon while rolling
against the tobacco and moving forward with it at the same time, and
then releasing the tobacco and moving back.
This part of my improvements consists in causing three or more
rollers to roll the tobacco as described in the Specification of my aforc-

page_text: said Patent, but the rollers do not move to and fro endways with the
tobacco while rolling, as hitherto, but simply revolve. The rollers act
intermittently, as described in my aforesaid Specification, but this
action is made more frequent by suitable gearing and a cam or other
equivalent means.
This part of my Invention also consists in making three (by proference)
or more rollers revolve on their axes simply, one of the rollers in
bearings on an adjustable swing frame being cam shaped or having a
portion or portions of its cylindrical surface cut away so as to act upon
the tobacco during a part or parts of its revolution, and release the
tobacco during the other part or parts of its revolution.
This part of my Invention also consists in combining with two rollers
known as "segmental rollers" a stationary roller revolving simply
without end motion but acting intermittently upon the tobacco as it
passes, or by combining the cam roller above named with the said
segmental rollers.
Secondly. My Invention consists in combining four rollers (by
preference) to roll the tobacco, that is, two rollers of large diameters
and one of smaller diameter to act upon the tobacco, the fourth roller
pressing upon and revolving in contact with the smaller roller. The
fourth roller is geered to revolve reverse to the two larger rollers and
drives the smaller roller in the same direction as the other two rollers,
acting upon the tobacco by friction of contact. The small roller is in
spring or other bearings attached to the bearings for the fourth roller,
and consequently when this is lifted by cam or other action the small
roller is lifted away from the tobacco.
The above combinations of rollers, described under the second head of
my Invention, may be used as described under the first head of this
Specification, or while having rotary they may also have end motion, as
described in the Specification of my aforesaid Patent
My Invention also consists in combining the said small roller
revolving in contact with the larger roller with two "segmental rollers,"
before mentioned.
In carrying out the first and second parts of my Invention, when the
rollers have no end motion, the tobacco while being twisted is wound up
continuously, but if desired it may be wound up intermittently.

page_text: .
Fig. 17 is a side and Fig. 18 an end view of mechanism to be com-
bined with ordinary frictional drag winding-up mechanism to cause
and regulate an intermittent "take up" or "wind up.”
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 show mechanism arranged according to the first
part of my Invention.
.
a are two lower rollers arranged to revolve in bearings, as shown.
These rollers are geared together, as shown in Fig. 1, and by peculiar
dotted pitch line circles in Fig. 2 b is an upper roller carried in
bearings in an "oscillating frame 6', having its fulcrums at 6. This
roller (6) when acting directly upon the tobacco, according to the first
part of my Invention, is geared, as shown in Fig. 2, except that an
intermediate wheel is dispensed with, or that another is added to drivo
the roller (6) in the same direction as the lower rollers (a), but when an
intermediate small roller c is acting directly upon the tobacco, the
roller (6) is geared, as shown by peculiar dotted pitch lines in Fig. 2.
The small roller (c) is held against the upper roller (6) by thin steel
bearings, which are secured to the swing frame (6'), as shown in Fig. 3,
so that the small roller (c) will be driven by the friction of contact with
the upper larger roller (6), and will risc and fall with it
The swing
frame (6') is lifted by a cam d on a shaft e (see Figs. 1 and 4) acting
upon a lever, having its fulcrum at f¹, one end of this lever being
Jointed with a rod f adjustable in length, which has a fork at its upper
end, in which the cross bar 6* of the swing frame rests. The swing
frame descends by its own weight and by the assistance of a weight
suspended from the cross bar (6*). 6³ are projections or feet from the
swing frame, which come upon the brackets for the bearings when there
is no tobacco between the rollers, and thus prevents percussion between
them.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate the combination of my improvements with
what are known as segmental rollers." 9 are two rollers with
segmental surfaces, which while in contact with the tobacco travel
endways and return endways when not in contact with the tobacco,
such segments being operated by cam inclines projecting from the
bearings, which act upon corresponding inclines upon the ends of the
segments, as is well understood. 6 is a plain roller in bearings in the
frame, which is rotated by gearing, and as shown by peculiar pitch
circles in Fig. 6. This roller drivers by friction of contact a small roller c,

page_text: which acts upon the tobacco. The rollers arranged as shown may act
continually upon the tobacco or intermittently by causing a cam to give
lifting movement to the frame b¹ in which the upper rollers are mounted.
This may be accomplished by forming an arm b' from the axis b² of the
frame b¹ and connecting a rod 65 with it, which has a slot for a shaft e
to pass through, upon which there is a cam d that acts upon a bowl on
the end of the rod 7º, as shewn in peculiar dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 7.
The curved slot 6º in the connecting rod is for the pin in the arm ʊª to
travel in when the frame b¹ has to be turned up
The bolts or pins b
by the springs 6ª
by which elastic pressure is put upon the top rollers
may screw into the bearing of the upper rollers (6), and the heads of
these pins or bolts (67) will prevent the rollers b and c from descending
below the point fixed upon when the frame is lifted by the cam d, or
when the frame is turned up by hand.
-
Figs. 8 and 9 are end views illustrating the first part of my Invention,
when rollers are used with a part or parts of their acting surfaces sunk,
so that when rotated they act upon the tobacco intermittently without
the use of a cam The top roller in cach case is in fixed bearings,
or bearings pressed down-to a fixed stop or stops by springs or weights
sufficient to give the required rolling pressure upon the tobacco. a are
bottom rollers.
Fig. 10 shows an end view illustrating the sunk surfaced roller b and
a small roller c, which latter is pressed against the surface of the former
by having its bearings in springs.
Figs. 11, 12, and 13 illustrate one modification of my Invention under
the third head for improvements in the mechanism for winding up the
spun tobacco. a, part of side frames of the flyer; b, bobbin upon which
the spun tobacco is wound; c, reversed screw for laying the thread
evenly upon the bobbin; d is the fixed disc for giving rotation to the
bobbin
All the parts above named and shewn by Figs. 11 and 12 are of the
ordinary arrangement or are as described in the Specification of my said
Patent. e is a pulley working against the face of the fixed disc, it can
slide upon the shaft which is arranged and drives the bobbin 6 by
gearing, as described in the Specification of my said Patent.
My improvements consist in making the pulley e with a long boss,
and forming a bearing at its end for a fork g put on in halves, as shown,

page_text: the prongs of this fork spanning a drum cam / upon a stud ' fixed to
rotate on one of the side frames of the flyer. To the end of this cam h
a wheel is secured which gears with a pinion upon a short shaft 1, upon
which there is a ratchet wheel that is placed on the shaft between the
legs of a double bell-crank lever 1, to one arm of which a rod 7¹ is
Jointed, the other end of which is placed upon an excentric 1 on the
boss of a wheel rotating on a stud in the frame, the latter wheel
gearing with a pinion upon the end of the bobbin shaft. The other arm
of the bell-crank lever 7' carnes a ratchet pawl 13 upon which a spring
acts to keep it against the teeth of the ratchet, * is a retaining pawl to
prevent the back movement of the ratchet There is a stud in the fork
clip, the end of which enters the grove in the surface of the drum cam,
so that by rotating the ratchet 7³ the cam causes the pulley e to traverse
along the face of the fixed disc d, and this will vary the speed of the
bobbin b, as required in winding. The cam groove is like a variable
pitched screw of one thread
The diagram Fig 13 shows by double lines x the shape of this cam
path on a flat surface when unrolled, the lines a and b coming together
when round the cylinder.
Figs 14 and 15 show another modification under the third head of my
Invention. a is the flyer frame, d, the fixed disc; b, the bobbin, e, the
pulley rotated by contact with the disc (d); f, its shaft; k, a fixed cross
stay; 1, a clutch fork sliding on the stay and spanning the groove in the
boss of the pulley e.
The parts above mentioned and shown by Figs. 14 and 15 are similar
to those described in the Specification of my said Patent.
My improvements consist in jointing a toothed quadrant m upon the
stay and jointing an arm m³ from this quadrant with a rod m² which
connects it with the pulley fork Z. The quadrant m is in gear with a
worm on a short shaft n in the frame, as shown, this shaft having a
ratchet wheel actuated by an excentric and connecting rod, as shown in
the Drawings and explained in reference to Figs. 11 and 12.
Fig. 16 illustrates another modification in which a curved arm m* 18
formed on the quadrant, to which a thin steel or other flexible con-
nection m³ is attached, so that the arm on moving will give a variable
unwinding which will approximate more closely to the movement
required than a straight arm and rigid rod shown in Figs. 14 and 15.

page_text: When a fresh bobbin is to be filled the ratchet wheels referred to are
turned backwards, as is well understood.
The winding up motions described under the third head of my Inven-
tion, and those described in the Specification of my aforesaid Patent, or
any other positive and continuous winding up motion, are used in com-
bination with the improvements described under the first and second
heads of my Invention, but intermittent winding up may be employed
in combination with my said improvements, that is, a winding up which
acts only when the rollers are not acting, and ceases to act when the
rollers are rolling the tobacco. Any well known frictional drag taking
up motion may be used in combination with my improved rollers, as
described under the first and second heads of my Invention, in which
case the operator holds back the tobacco by hand and allows it to wind
up as he desires, but another part of my Invention consists in arrange-
ments for automatically regulating the take up or winding up motion
where the winding is produced by the drag of friction, and is illustrated
by Figs. 17 and 18
The apparatus about to be described is placed, by preference, about 8
to 12 inches from that end of the rollers at which the tobacco-enters
a is a pulley placed in a bearing, as shown, so that the bottom of its groove
comes on a level with the surface of the table (b) upon which the
operator works; c is a lever above the pulley; the lower end is shaped
to form the segment of a pulley, and it is mounted on a stud c¹ in the
end of a bell-crank lever d, and its upper end plays between two stops
on a quadrant d'; from the end of the bell-crank lever d one of these
stops (d) is fixed, the other is formed by an adjustable excentric d³.
To one part of the lover c one end of a spring e is connected, the other
end being attached to the quadrant d', as shown; this spring acting to
pull back the upper arm of the lever c against the excentric stop d³.
The bell-crank lever dis mounted on a stud d* on a stand ƒ secured to
the frame, and the lower arm of the bell-crank lever is acted upon by a
cam g placed on any suitable shaft, say on the shaft e, Figs 1, 2, 3, 4,
and 5, extended for the purpose. h is a strong spring, which is attached
to the bell-crank lever d and to a stud in the frame; this spring will,
when the cam gallows, press the end of the arm c against the tobacco,
which passes along the table (b) from the operator to the rollers through
and between the pulley (a) and lever arm; c is a lever handle jointed
in the arm d, which when turned up lifts the upper arm of the bell-

page_text: crank lever by coming in contact with a projection ft from the stand.
The cam g is shaped and arranged to allow the pulley end of the lover c
to be pressed by the spring h upon the tobacco just before the rollers
release their hold of it, and to lift the said pulley ended lever from the
tobacco when the rollers have taken hold, so that either the rollers or
pulley ended lever and pulley have always hold of the tobacco, but
when the rollers release their hold the "drag" produced by the friction
band will pull on and wind up the spun tobacco, but only to such an
extent between each operation of the rollers as the lever c is allowed to
play between the fixed and adjustable stops The "drag" thus carries
the upper end of the lever c against the fixed stop, which arrests the
further movement of the tobacco at that time, and when the lover c is
lifted the spring e pulls back the upper end of the lever c against the
excentric stop ready for the next operation. By turning the excentric
stop & the length to be wound up between each operation of the rollers
is regulated
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and
the manner of carrying it into effect, and claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. The combination of three or more rollers for rolling tobacco,
acting intermittently, and having a simple rotary motion without end
motion, substantially as herein-before described under the first head of
my Invention.
Secondly The combination of three or more rollers having simplo
rotary motion, one or more of such rollers having a part or parts of its
or their rolling surfaces cut away, as herein-before described and illus-
trated by Figs. 8 and 9 of the Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination of a roller to revolve simply, and having an
intermittent action with what are known as segmental rollers, as herein-
before described.
Fourthly. The combination of four rollers, by preference, for rolling
tobacco, two rollers of large diameter, and one smaller roller to act upon
the tobacco, and a fourth roller to press upon the small roller, substan-
tially as herein-before described and illustrated by Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, and 10, and also when such rollers have ond motion as well as rotary
motion.
Fifthly. The combination of a small roller and another roller to act
upon it when used in combination with segmental rollers, whether acting

page_text: continuously or intermittently, substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated by Figs. 5, 6, and 7
Sixthly The improvements in the arrangements and combinations of
mechanism for winding up the tobacco as it is spun, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated by Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,
and 16.
Seventhly. The system or mode of and mechanism for regulating the
winding up of the tobacco intermittently when such winding is effected
by the drag of friction, as herein-before described and illustrated by
Figs. 17 and 18 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Butterworth, have herc-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twentieth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
SIX.