IMPROVEMENTS IN: MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING COTTON AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edouard Tavernier, of 3,.Cité Trévise, Paris, in the
Empire of France, and Henry Walton Whitehead, of the Firm of
Taylor, Wordsworth, & Co., of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine
Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN: MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR
COMBING COTTON AND OTHER FIBRES."
Sealed the 30th April 1867, and dated the 1st November 1866....
19
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edouard. Tavernier and
Henry Walton Whitehead at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 1st November 1866.
..
.1.2
I, EDOUARD. TAVERNIER," of 3; Cité Trévise, Paris, in the Empire of France,
and HENRY WALTON WHITEHEAD, of the Firm of Taylor, Wordsworth,
& Co., of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Maker, do 'hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention" for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS.OR
APPARATUS FOR COMBING COTTON AND OTHER FIBRES," to be as follows: --
The improvements have reference particularly to-those-classes of combing
apparatus known in the trade as "Noble's and "Hubner's" "machines..
In carrying out our improvements in these classes of machines the ballsiof
fibre prepared by carding or otherwise for combing are placed so as to be
supported above upon, frames from the circular plate carrying the main circle

page_text: TT
of comb teeth, and carrying also a circle having holes corresponding in
number with the feed boxes. The feed boxes are similar to those employed in
the "Noble's" machines, and have a lifting or up-and-down motion given to
them by means of an inclined plane or inclined planes, or otherwise. A
knife or blade is applied to act as a keeping plate. on the fibre between the
rows of teeth of the main circle to hold fast the heads of the sliver therein
during the rising of the feed ends of the boxes; other similar knives or
blades are used to hold fast the fibre when it comes before the cleansing
combs or teeth, and which let the fibre loose when it comes before the
drawing-off rollers. Brushes take the noil from the teeth of the cleansing
combs. The sliver of top is delivered upon an endless apron, upon which it
is pressed by a conical roller, it is thence delivered to a rotating can or
receiver. In operation each sliver from its ball is delivered into a box, the
feed end of which is actuated to feed the fibre into the main circle of teeth.
The fibre is maintained in the main circle by the keeping blade or plate, and
the slivers are thereby drawn off from the balls. In the progress of the circle
the heads or ends of the slivers are released and rise above the teeth, when in
the motion of the boxes the ends or heads of the slivers are laid into the teeth
of the main combs and are there forced by one of the plates referred to, the
projecting fringe is combed by the cleansing combs. The feed boxes may
feed either from the inside or the outside of the main circle of teeth, the
cleansing combs being on the opposite side. The keeping plate or plates
travel with the main circle of comb teeth when pressed on for that purpose,
and when they rise they are drawn back by spring sideways ready for the
next feed of sliver, and it descends on the fibre in the main circle of
combs at the same time that the "faller" as a cleansing comb comes up to
those combs. "Fallers," "gill combs," or "porcupines" may be used as the
cleansing combs, but in all cases we prefer that they partake of a curve form
corresponding with that of the main circle in order that they may embrace a
larger portion of the circumference of the circular comb. In place of these
"fallers "or gill combs being formed by teeth set, in bars, the teeth may be
formed by cutting the teeth out of solid plates. The "fallers" or gill combs
may be actuated by coarse pitched spirally-cut screws, or otherwise. The
actuating by coarse pitched screws cleanses the fibre or sliver protruding from
the main circle of teeth, thereby separating the noil or short fibre from the
top or long fibre during a less distance of travel of the main circle. We also
apply the pins to the reverse.edge of the fallers, or that edge of them
level from end to end, in place of in the recessed part as heretofore, by which
we are enabled to get the centre of the screws working them lower and more

page_text: out of the way of the fibre. The noil or short fibre may be cleansed from the
gill pins or cleansing combs by a circular brush, the fibre being prevented.
from dropping back by the aid of a small roller acting more securely to
the fibre into the brush until it is taken by the doffer and stripped therefrom
by the doffing knife. The direction of the drawing rollers, may be varied.
press:
In applying keeping plates to the present arrangement of Noble's machines
they may drop for every box, and then move sideways until the next box
comes into position for the wool to be pressed down. : ..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edouard Tavernier and Henry Walton Whitehead in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDOUARD
TAVERNIER, of 3, Cité, Trévise, Paris, in the Empire of France, and HENRY
WALTON WHITEHEAD, of the Firm of Taylor, Wordsworth, & Co., of Leeds,
in the County of York, Machine Maker, send.greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty, Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of November, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight, hundred and sixty-six,. in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Edouard Tavernier and Henry Walton Whitehead, Her special
licence that we, the said Edouard Tavernier and Henry Walton Whitehead,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Edouard Tavernier and Henry Walton Whitehead, our executors, admini-
strators, 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 MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING
COTTON AND OTHER FIBRES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Edouard Tavernier and Henry Walton Whitehead, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand, and seal of one of us or them, 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.

page_text: "
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the 'said Henry Walton Whitehead, on behalf of
myself and the said Edouard Tavernier, do hereby declare the nature of the
said 'Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say i od te w
The improvements have reference particularly to those classes of combing
apparatus known in the trade as "Noble's and Hubner's" machines. . But
that 'the Invention may be fully understood we will, by the aid of the accom-
panying Drawings, proceed to describe means pursued by us in carrying the
same into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a sectional view, and Figure 2 a plan view of parts of apparatus
arranged according to our improvements.
In carrying out our improvements in the classes of machines referred to
the balls a, a, of fibre prepared by carding or otherwise for combing are 1
placed so as to be supported above upon frames 6 from the circular platé c
carrying 'the main circle of comb teeth d; and which plate also carries a
circular plate c¹ having holes through it corresponding in number with the
feed boxes e to guide the fibre to the boxes. "The feed boxes e are similar to
those employed in the "Noble's "machines, and have a lifting or up-and-a
down motion given to them by means of an inclined plane or inclined planes f,
as shewn by Figure 1, or otherwise; 9, 9, are knives or blades which are
applied as keeping plates to act on the fibre between the rows of teeth d of
the main circle for the purpose of holding fast the heads of the slivers therein
during the rising of the feed ends of the boxes e. Other similar knives or
blades are also used to hold fast the fibre when it comes before the cleansing
combs or teeth h, and which let the fibre loose when it comes before the
drawing-off rollers, i;j, j, are brushes which take the noil from the teeth
of the cleansing combs h. The slivers of the top a³ are delivered upon end-
less aprons k, upon each of which it is pressed by a conical roller k, and s
having passed partly round this conical roller it is thence delivered to a
rotating can or receiver l. In operation each sliver a from its ball a is
delivered into a box e, the feed end of which is actuated by pins et projecting
therefrom and moving over inclines if so as to effect a lifting of those ends of
the boxes to feed the fibre into the main circle of teeth d. The fibre is main-
tained in the main circle by the keeping blades or plates 9, 9, and the slivers a'
are thereby held for drawing off from the balls a. In the progress of the
circle d the projecting heads or ends of the slivers are released and rise above
the teeth, when in the further motion of the boxes those projecting ends or
"..

page_text: heads of the slivers are laid into the teeth of the main combs, and are then
forced into those combs by one of the plates 9 referred to. The projecting
fringe is combed by the cleansing combs h. The feed boxes.e may feed the
fibre either from the inside or the outside of the main circle of teeth, the
cleansing combs being on the opposite side to such feed. The keeping plate
or plates 9, 9, travel with the main circle of comb teeth d when pressed on for
that purpose, and when they rise they are drawn back by springs g (as shewn
by Figure 4*) sideways ready for the next feed of sliver, and they descend on
the fibre in the main circle of combs at the same time that the cleansing
combh acts on the projecting ends of the fibre. When the keeping plate g
is pressed upon the fibre it will travel with the comb, and when lifted up it is
drawn back by the spiral spring into position for the next feed box. Porcupines
are shewn in these Figures.
Figures 3 and 4 show a modification of parts with gill fallers or combs as
the cleansing media, but in all cases we prefer that the cleansing combs
partake of a curve form, corresponding with that of the main circle, in order
that they may embrace a larger portion of the circumference of the circular
comb. The porcupines h
may in some cases be employed vertically instead of
horizontally, as. shewn by Figures 1 and 2, and in that case a circular
stationary keeping plate may be kept continuously pressed upon the fibre.
Figure 3 is a section, and Figure 4 a plan view of a slight modification of
the improvements, in which gill combs or fallers are used. e, e, are the feed
boxes shown on the outside of the circular comb d. The yellow colour a¹
represents the feed from the ball of sliver a, but in this case the feed is from
below instead of from above. The keeping plates 9 are supported by means of
the dovetail projection 9" sliding in a correspondingly formed dovetail groove
in the bar ", which is supported by and with capability of slight up-and-down
movement on standards g³, so that when any one of the keeping plates is
pressed down by spiral springs or other means upon the comb d it may travel
with that comb, but when the pressure is removed it is capable of rising and
may be drawn back sideways by the spring 9 ready for the next feed of sliver,
and then again descends on the fibre in the circular comb d, at the same time
that one of the fallers m comes up to the circular comb d in order to hold the
fibre until the ends are cleaned of the noil or short fibre, and by that means
considerably more top or clean long fibre is obtained. In place of gill fallers
or gill combs m, m, being formed by teeth set in bars, the teeth may be formed
by cutting them out of solid plates m*, as shewn by Figures 5, 6, 7, 8,
and 9.
According to another part of the improvements we apply the pins to the

page_text: reverse edge of the fallers, or that edge of them level from end to end, in place
of in the recessed part as heretofore, by which we are enabled, to get the
centre of the screws, working them lower and more out of the way of the
fibre as shewn by Figures 5, 6, and 7. The gill "fallers" or gill combs
.m, m, are in the arrangement shewn by Figures 3 and 4 actuated by coarse
-pitched spirally cut screws m², m³, but they may. be otherwise actuated. The
actuating by coarse pitched screws cleanses the fibre or sliver protruding from
the main circle of teeth d, and thereby separates the noil or short fibre from
the top or long, fibre during a shorter distance of travel of the main circle.
The noil or short fibre may be cleaned out of the gills or other means
employed by a circular brush j, the fibre being prevented from dropping back
by the small roller n on the top of the brush, more securely holding it on to
the brush j until it is received on to the doffing cylinder or card cylinder p and
stripped into a box by the doffing knife q. The top or cleaned fibre is. carried
forward by the circular comb d to drawing-off rollers i, i. The direction of the
drawing rollers may be varied.
Figures 10 and 11 show an application of the keeping plates 9 to the
present arrangement of Noble's machines. The keeping plates 9 drop for
..every box 6, and then move sideways until the next box comes into position
for the wool to be pressed down. In that case we prefer the small circular
combs to be larger in diameter than heretofore, so that they may be nearly
close together in the centre, thereby presenting a greater amount of their
.surfaces in contact with the larger circular comb.
Having thus described our improvements, and means which we adopt in
carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we do not
.confine ourselves to the precise arrangement of parts as shewn and described,
as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar elements of
our Invention, but what we claim is,-
First, the so arranging or combining means or apparatus for combing
cotton or other fibres that such fibres may be fed on to a travelling comb by
feed boxes operating in conjunction with plates acting as keeping plates to
hold the fibre until it is combed by porcupine, screw gill, or other suitable
.combs; in manner substantially as explained.
"
Secondly, we claim the so arranging means or apparatus for combing wool
or other fibres that plates acting as keeping plates may be operated .to move
forward for a time with the teeth of the larger or outer circle of combs, whilst
the brush thereof acts with the teeth of the smaller circle and theu be lifted
from such teeth and drawn back ready for the feed of fibre to the combs, in
nanner substantially as explained.

page_text: Thirdly, we claim the applying the pins or gill teeth to the reverse edge of
the faller bars used in combing cotton or other fibres as described in respect
of Figures 5, 6, and 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Walton Whitehead, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
HENRY WALTON. WHITEHEAD. (L.S.)
HENRY WALTON. WHITEHEAD. (L.S.)