IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING COTTON SEEDS, AND IN MACHINERY USED FOR BUCH PROCESS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Macmillan Dunlop, of Manchester, Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING COTTON SEEDS, AND IN
MACHINERY USED FOR BUCH PROCESS."
Sealed the 11th February 1862, and dated the 31st August 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Macmillan Dunlop
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st August 1861.
I, JOHN MACMILLAN DUNLOP, of Manchester, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING COTTON SEEDS,
AND IN MACHINERY USED FOR SUCH PROCESS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cleansing cotton seeds and
in machinery used for such process. Heretofore in some cases cotton. has
been separated from the seeds by what are called saw gins, and in other cases by
roller gins; but in all the mechanical processes which are now generally resorted
to for separating cotton from the seeds, a quantity of cotton adheres to the
seeds, which it is desirable completely to remove, more particularly when the
seed is to be subjected to pressure to extract oil therefrom.
In the use of saw gins it is usual for the cotton mixed with the seeds to pass
continuously through the hopper or case within which the saw teeth of the
gin act.
Now, according to my Invention, in place of allowing the seeds which have

page_text: been previously subjected to any of the ordinary gins or machines for separating
the cotton therefrom to pass continuously through the gin, they are retained in
the hopper or case in presence of the saw teeth of the gin, and are again and
again acted on thereby until they are well and sufficiently cleaned or freed
froin the small quantities of cotton which, as before stated, constantly adheres
to them when removing cotton from the seeds as now practised.
The machinery employed in carrying out my Invention may be varied, but
I prefer that a machine should be used very similar in construction to an
ordinary saw gin, but the circular saws are placed more closely together than
is usually the case, I generally place them about one-eighth to three-cighths of
an inch apart, and that part of each saw that enters the hopper or case passes
through a slit in the hopper, and in place of the hopper being constantly open;
so that tho seeds may at once and continuously descend past the saw teeth,
the bottom of the hopper is kept closed, until by the repeated action of the
saws on the quantity of seed in the hopper or case the remaining adhering
cotton from the previous process has been removed from the seeds. It will
therefore be understood that the seeds are first subjected, as heretofore, to the
nction of a suitable gin or machine to separate the cotton therefrom, and are
then subjected to another process to separate the remaining adhering cotton
therefrom, which is accomplished by saw teeth again and again acting on the
seeds, thoy being prevented passing away from the saw teeth of the gin till tho
cleaning has been accomplished.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of tho, Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Macmillan Dunlop in the Great Seal Patent Office.on
the 28th February 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MACMILLAN DUNLOP, of Manchester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Macmillan Dunlop, Her special licence that I, the said John Mac-
millan Dunlop, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Macmillan Dunlop, 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
h...
L!

page_text: 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 CLEANSING COTTON SEEDS, AND IN MACHINERY USED FOR SUCH PRO-
CESS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the 'said John Macmillan
5. Dunlop, 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 John Macmillan Dunlop, 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:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cleansing cottonseeds,
and in machinery used for such process. Heretofore, in some cases, cotton
has been separated from the seeds by what are called saw. gins, and in other
cases by roller gins, but in all the mechanical processes which are now
generally resorted to for separating cotton from the seeds, a quantity of cotton
adheres to the seeds, which it is 'desirable completely to remove, more
particularly when the seed is to be subjected to pressure to extract oil there-
from.
In the use of saw gins it is usual for the cotton mixed with the seeds to pass
continuously through the hopper or case, within which the saw teeth of tho
gin act.
*
:
Now, according to my Invention; in place of allowing the seeds (which
have been previously subjected to any of the ordinary gins or machines for
separating the cotton' therefrom) to pass continuously through the-gin, they
are retained in the hopper or case, in presence of the saw teeth of the gin; and
are again and again' acted on thereby, until they are well and sufficiently
cleaned or freed from the small quantities of cotton which, as before stated,
constantly adheres to them when removing cotton from the seeds- as now
practised.
The machinery employed in carrying out my Invention may be varied, but I
prefer that a machine should be used very similar in construction to an ordinary
saw gin; and that the part of each saw that enters the hopper or case should
pass through a slit in' the hopper; and in place of the hopper being constantly
open so that the seeds may at once and continuously descend past the saw. teeth,"
the bottom of the hopper is kept closed, until by the repeated action of the

page_text: saws on the quantity of seed in the hopper or case the remaining adhering
cotton from the previous process has been removed from the seeds. It will
therefore be understood, that the seeds are first subjected, as heretofore, to the
action of a suitable gin or machine to separate the cotton therefrom, and are
then subjected to another process to separate the remaining adhering cotton
therefrom, which is accomplished by saw teeth again and again 'acting on
the seeds, they being provented passing away from the saw teeth of the gin
action of a suitable gin or machine to separate me cotton there, and are
then subjected to another process to separate the remaining adhering cotton
therefrom, which is accomplished by saw teeth again and again acting on
the seeds, they being provented passing away from the saw teeth of the gin
tiff the cleaning has been accomplished.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation in section of the seed-cleaning machine, shew-
ing the relative positions of the saws, saw grids, the brush for cleaning the
saws, and hopper or box with the moveable shuttle or door. Figure 2 is a
plan in section of the seed box, taken at A, B, in Figure 1. Both the Figures
are drawn half size; o,.o, o, is the framing of the machine; C is the saw'shaft,
having a fast and loose pulley. at its outer end, and which shaft runs in suitable
bearings, bolted.to the framing 0, 0, 0, of, the machine; D, D, are the saws
fixed to the shaft C; they are kept the required distance from each other (say
fromto of an inch) by washers in a similar manner to the common saw
gin. There may be any convenient number of saws depending on the width
f the machines. The saws D, D, enter the hopper or case G through tho
slits or grooves or grids M, M, formed in an iron or other metal plato K, K,
which plate or grid forms the bottom of the hopper or case G, as in the
ordinary saw gin, only the saws D; D, are closer together. The metal plate
or grid K, K, is screwed, or they may be otherwise fixed to the cross bars
L, L'. The cross bars L, L', are attached to the sides N of the hopper box G,
and keep it rigid and firm; E is the brush fixed to the shaft F, which is also
tlie same as in the ordinary saw gin, and it is employed to keep the saw teeth
clear; E is the shuttle or sliding door by which the seeds are retained in thio
hopper box until they are sufficiently cleaned, they are then allowed to drop
out of the hopper or box G, by raising the shuttle H. The shuttle H is fitted
between the two guides I, I, so that it can be easily opened and shut by hand,
or the opening and closing of the hopper may be otherwise accomplished.
When a quantity of the seeds has been cleansed, that quantity is discharged
from the hopper, and a fresh quantity is supplied to the machine. Although I
have described the saws as working through a grid plate, yet this is not the
only method of working; as the saws might be put much closer together, or
they might be quite close and touch each other, or the saw. might be coiled
round a cylinder in a spiral form; in these cases the grid or plate with. tho

page_text: slits in it would be dispensed with, and two plates, one fixed on each of the
cross bars L, L', would be placed just to clear the saws to prevent the seeds
passing; or two or more shafts or cylinders with saws similar to those
already described might be placed in the hopper box, and all of these might be
caused to operate on the seeds during the time they are retained or confined.in
the hopper box.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Macmillan Dunlop, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN M. DUNLOP. (L.B.)