A MACHINE OR ENGINE FOR BATTING COTTON AND WOOL
Year: 1795

page_text: CONNOP'S SPECIFICATION..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CONNOP, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Whitesmith, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twelfth day of January, in the thirty-fifth year of His
reign, did give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Connop, His especial
licence, that I, the said Thomas Connop, during the term of years therein.
mentioned, should and lawfully might use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A MACHINE
OR ENGINE FOR BATTING COTTON AND WOOL;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Thomas Connop, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
one calendar month after the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, relation being thereunto had), will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Connop, do hereby declare that my said Invention of a Machine or
Engine for Batting Cotton and Wool is described in the Plans hereunder

page_text: drawn and set forth, and in the explanation or description thereof hercin-after
mentioned and contained (that is to say):-
Figure 1 shows the construction of a machine, in which the rods or beaters
are made to remove to and from the cotton or wool, where a is a bovel wheel,
fixed on the axis b, which may be turned by an upright shaft, or instead
thereof a pulley may be substituted, to be turned by a strap from a num.
On the axis b is also affixed the half wheel c, which acting on the rock d,
affixed to the centro part of the frame A, A, moveable on the large frame
B, B, cause a small moveable frame to recede from the corded frame D, on
which the cotton or wool is laid, to the situation as represented in this Figure.
The same motion operating on the bevel wheel e, affixed at the opposite end of
the axis b, turns the wheels f, g, and h, as is represented in Figure 11., and is
communicated to the axis i, on which is affixed the half wheel k, which
acting upon the rock d, in a reverse direction from the half wheel c, cause the
moveable frame to approach the cotton or wool. The elevation of the rods is
effected by the operation of the wheel m, affixed on the end of the axis i,
which acting upon the horizontal wheel n, turns the upright axis O, on the top
of which the brass pinion p is fixed, this again acting upon the brass wheel 2,
turns a sliding axis at the end of which the wheels is fixed, which moves the
wheel t, on the axis, of which are affixed the segment wheels u, u, u, u, and
these acting upon the quadrant wheels u, v, u, v, clevate the rods in the
manner herein-after more particularly mentioned in the description of the
machine represented in Figure III. Instead of the half wheels c and k, may
be substituted levers, upon the same axis, at the extremity of which, in order
to provent friction, friction rollers or pulleys may be affixed, and instead of the
iron ruck a projection of wood or iron on the under side of the frame. The
lovers alternately pressing against the projecting part of the frame will produce
the same motion as the half wheels c and k.
Figure III. shows the construction of a machine in which the frame
whereon the cotton or wool is placed is made to move to and from the
batting rods. At A in this Figure is represented a pulley (which may be
worked as above mentioned in the description of the machine represented in
Figure 1.) fixed on the axis B, which, in turning, move the segment wheels
a, a, a, a; these acting on the quadrant wheels b, b, b, b, elevato the rods til
the segment wheels arive at the points where the cogs are discontinued ; the
quadrant wheels being then releived the rods immediately fall upon the corded
frame h, h, h, h, on which the cotton or wool is placed, by the action of spiral
springs fixed from the pullies i, i, i, i, at the bottom of the rods. During this

page_text: period the wheel C, acting upon the wheel D, turns the axis on which are placed
the brass wheels E, F, and G, and the iron wheel H, which, acting upon the
wheel I, communicates a similar motion to the segment wheels d, d, d, d, and
the quadrant wheels e, e, e, e, the situation of which on the axis K being
reversed from those at B, the alternate elevation of the rods is effected. The
brass pinions E, F, at the same time acting upon the horizontal wheels L, L,
move the cranks M, M, and communicate to the frame 9, 9, 9, 9, an alternate
motion to and from the sides of the machine, so that the strokes of the rods
may be equally distributed to the different parts of the cotton or wool. A
similar motion to and from each end of the machine is produced upon the
frame h, h, h, h, by the action of the brass wheel G on the pinion P, on the
axis of which is placed the wheel R, which, acting upon the vertical wheel S,
communicates a rotative motion to the crank T, which, pressing alternately
against the sides of the boards k, k, suspended from the centre of the corded
frame, produce the motion above mentioned. Circular, instead of segment
and quadrant wheels, may be used in the above-described machines, so that
they may be what is termed always in gear, by fixing a stud or catch upon the
wheels that are upon the same axis with the rods. The pullies at the bottom
of the rods being moveable instead of fixed, as in the last-described machine,
and having a stud or catch to lock in with the adjoining wheel; a nuckle or
projecting part must also be made upon the pullies and iron rods to project
from the frame, which passing between the pullies and iron wheels in their
course relieve the catches or studs from each other at the point where the
nuckles approach the projecting rods of the frame. The batting rods being
released, give the blow on the cotton or wool by the action of the spiral springs,
as before mentioned, and are taken up again by the meeting of the studs in
the pullies and wheels, which are made to approach each other by scroll
springs fixed behind the pullies.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Connop, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of February, in the thirty-fifth year of
the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of
God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the
Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven
hundred and ninety-five.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord 1795, the aforesaid Thomas Connop came before our said
Lord' the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also tho .Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and ninety-five.