CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Dobson and Edward Barlow, of Bolton, in
the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES."-A communication from abroad by
John Lees Wrigley, of Chemnitz, in the Kingdom of Saxony.
Sealed the 31st July 1863, and dated the 9th February 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Dobson and
Edward Barlow at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 9th February 1863.
We, BENJAMIN DOBSON and EDWARD BARLOW, of Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," a communication to us
from abroad by John Lees Wrigley, of Chemnitz, in the Kingdom of Saxony,
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of certain improvements upon the carding engines
for which Letters Patent were granted to George Wellman on the Eleventh
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty, No. 2190.
In the Specification of the Patent above referred to the machinery acts
successively upon each alternate top card or flat to clean it, thus cleaning all
the top cards or flats an equal number of times. Now the present Invention
consists in so modifying the machinery that the flats near the licker-in, or near

page_text: the working and clearing rollers, when such are employed, are cleaned oftener
than those near the doffer. In order to accomplish this the rocker frame with
the double cams for raising and lowering the flats, and the apparatus for
cleaning them, after operating upon a portion of the series of flats are reversed
in their action, and made to return to their starting point, from whence they
progress to the end of the series and then return, thus cleaning the first part
of the series of flats twice for the remainder once.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Dobson and Edward Barlow in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 8th August 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, BENJAMIN
DOBSON and EDWARD BARLOW, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Benjamin Dobson and Edward Barlow, Her special license that we, the said
Benjamin Dobson and Edward Barlow, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Benjamin Dobson and Edward Barlow,
our 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING
ENGINES," a communication to us from abroad by John Lees Wrigley, of
Chemnitz, in the Kingdom of Saxony, upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Benjamin Dobson and Edward Barlow, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one
of our or their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
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 we, the said Benjamin Dobson and Edward Barlow,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists of certain improvements upon the carding engines
for which Letters Patent were granted to George Wellman on the Eleventh
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty, No. 2190.
In the Specification of the Patent above referred to the machinery described
acts successively upon each alternate top card or flat to clean it, thus cleaning
all the top cards or flats an equal number of times. Now the present Inven-
tion consists in so modifying the machinery that the flats near the licker-in, or
the working and clearing rollers, when such are employed, are cleaned oftener
than those near the doffer.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation we will proceed to describe the accompanying Drawing,
reference being had to the letters of reference marked thereon.
The Drawing represents a carding engine furnished with three pair of
worker and clearer rollers, and twelve top flats, numbered respectively from 1
to 12, but it is evident that carding engines on this principle may be made
with a greater or less number of flats. When the carding engine is furnished
with twelve flats the machinery to be described will effect the stripping of the
same in the following order, namely, the flat near the licker-in is first raised,
then cleaned and deposited in its original position, in the manner described in
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to George Wellman, above
referred to, then the third, fifth, and seventh are treated in like manner, as
indicated by the following figures:-1, 3, 5, 7, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12,
10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5, &c.
a is the main cylinder; b, the licker-in; c, the doffer; d, e, the worker and
stripper rollers; and f, the top cards or flats; these and all the other parts of
the carding engine not described or not particularly referred to hereafter are
made in the usual manner. By means of the rack D, in combination with the
revolving plate E, which carries a continuation of the rack D, the stripping
apparatus on arriving at the seventh flat is caused to return to the con-
mencement; at the succeeding operation it goes to the extremity of the line
of flats, and the next time only to the seventh as before.
The large wheel A, with one hundred and twenty teeth, which lifts the flat
to be stripped, and gives motion to the stripping apparatus, described in the
Specification of George Wellman's Patent above referred to, revolves in a
bearing carried by the lever F, behind which and on the stud of the wheel A
a segment G with seven teeth is fixed, which gears into the pinion B with

page_text: thirty-two teeth; on the same stud is another pinion C with forty-eight teeth;
these pinions are loose on a stud screwed to the bend of the card. The
pinion C drives through two carrier wheels H the wheel I, with ninety-six
teeth, to which the revolving plate E is fixed. The segment G gears twice
into the pinion B during every complete operation of the apparatus when the
same arrives at the first and second flats. The revolving plate E advances
one-eighth of its circumference each time it is put in movement, therefore two
movements are equal to one-fourth of its circumference; the plate E will
therefore be alternately in the position shewn in the Drawing, and in a position
one-fourth of a revolution further advanced. In the former case the stripping
apparatus will return, in the latter the rack on the plate E, being in a line
with the rack D, will cause the stripping apparatus to continue its course
through the whole series of flats. The pinion K, which gears into the rack D,
and moves the stripping apparatus, has sixteen teeth, and advances each time
half a revolution, together with the pinion L, with twenty teeth and the four
cornered plate M; the pinion K is driven by the wheel A, which carries a
segment of eight teeth on a portion of its circumference for that purpose, as
described in the Specification of George Wellman above referred to. The
support which carried the pinions K and L above mentioned is fixed to a
swing arm which moves on the lever F. For the purpose of securing the
necessary exactness in the advance of the plate E for one-fourth of its
revolution, a plate or disc N is fixed behind the wheel I, which plate bas four
notches at equal distances apart adapted to receive the V-formed tooth O,
which tooth is drawn back before each advance of the plate E. The mode in
which the tooth O is drawn back is as follows:-The tooth slides freely in a
socket P, and is connected with an angular lever Q, which moves round the
axle R; on one arm of the lever Q is an inclined plane S, against which the
stud T presses. The stud T is fixed to the lever F, and acts upon the tooth O
through the lever Q during the passage of the stripping apparatus. The
tooth O is pressed into the notches N by a spiral spring. To facilitate the
return of the pinions K and L when they arrive at the bottom of the rack D,
a chain with a balance weight is attached to their support, and carried over a
pulley placed near the doffer.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, is communicated to us by
the within-named John Lees Wrigley, we wish it to be understood that we do
not intend to limit ourselves to the details given, as the flats may be cleaned
in any other required succession; but what we do claim as our improvements
in carding engines is the machinery described, or any other combination o

page_text: machinery whereby the top flats near the licker-in or near the worker and
stripper rollers, when such are employed, are cleaned oftener than the
others.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Dobson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
BENJAMIN DOBSON. (L.S.)