IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jonas Tatham, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO
CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES."
Sealed the 5th May 1874, and dated the 11th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jonas Tatham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th November 1873.
I, JONAS TATHAM, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES," to be as follows, that is to
say:
This Invention relates to the apparatus now well known as "Evan's
and King's First Feed," for feeding wool, cotton, or other fibrous
materials to carding or other machines, and has for its object to simplify
certain parts of the machine, to improve the delivery of the fibrous
materials after being weighed, and to reduce the distance between the
endless feed apron which carries the weighed fibrous materials forwards,
and the parts which drop them into the weighing scale.

page_text: In carrying out the Invention the scale is suspended from counter-
balanced levers, but only descends a very short distance when the full
weight is attained, and is not turned over for delivering the fibrous
materials. The descent of the scale puts an arm formed on one of the
weighing levers in the way of a projection on a piece continuously
revolving on a stud by means of a cord and pulley, and this piece being
in consequence moved on the stud acts by means of a groove on a lever
catch that holds up a rod connected with the supplying mechanism. This
rod drops in consequence of the movement of the catch lever, and
causes the supply of fibrous materials to the weighing scale to be
interrupted. The fibrous materials are transferred from the scale to the
feed apron by a paddle or rake acted on periodically by a cam on the
roller of the fced apron, or in an equivalent manner by any part of the
apparatus moving in concert with the feed apron.
If the weighing scale should not rise quickly after being emptied it
may be lifted by a positive movement in connection with the parts which
periodically set working the mechanism for transferring the fibrous
materials from the hopper to the weighing scale.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jonas Tatham in the Great Seal Patent Office 1
on the 9th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JONAS
TATHAM, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her :
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cossors, give and grant unto me, the said Jonas Tatham, Her special
licence that I, the said Jonas Tatham, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jonas Tatham, 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 make, use,

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Jonas Tatham, 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 Jonas Tatham, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the apparatus now well known as
“Evan's and King's First Feed," for fceding wool, cotton, or other fibrous
materials to carding or other machines, and has for its object to simplify
certain parts of the machine, to improve the delivery of the fibrous
materials after being weighed, and to reduce the distance between the
endless forwarding or feed apron which carries the weighed fibrous
materials forwards, and the parts which drop them into the weighing
scale.
In carrying out my Invention the weighing scale is arranged to
descend a short distance only, and the weighed fibrous materials are
transferred from the scale to the endless forwarding apron by a paddle
or rake operating periodically instead of the scale being turned over as
formerly.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing a
"first feed" machine as fitted with my improvements. In these
Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; and Figure 2 is a front
elevation of the parts shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an elevation of a
part not seen in Figure 1.

page_text: The weighing scale 1 has its bottom shaped like the segment of a
large cylinder, and is suspended by means of links 2 fixed to its ends
from pins 3 on levers 4, which have their fulcra or centres on brackets 5,
and which have adjustable counterweights 6 on their outer ends. The
present Invention does not relate to the mechanism for transferring the
fibrous materials from the hopper 7, and for dropping them into the
weighing scale 1, and such mechanism may be the same as heretofore.
The Drawing does not, however, show the details for driving the shaft 8
of the hooked roller, as hitherto arranged, that shaft being supposed to
be driven at its further end, which is not shown. The shaft 9 of the
revolving beater or doffing paddle has on it as formerly fast and loose
pulleys 10 for a driving belt 11 from a pulley 12 on the first motion
shaft, and this belt 11 is shifted by a fork 13 on a vertical rod 14. The
upward movement of this rod 14 causes the belt 11 to act on the fast
pulley, and thus actuate the supplying mechanism, and the rod is
periodically moved up by a cam 15 on a shaft driven by a pitch chain or
otherwise from the carding or other machine with which the forwarding
apron 16 is connected. The fork rod 14 is however held up and released
by improved details. It is formed with a notch or shoulder, and is held
up by a small horizontally moving catch lever 17 entering this notch
by the action of a spring. This catch lever 17 is centred on a pin fixed
to a lateral projection on the bracket 5, and its other end enters a groove
in a small pulley 18 carried loosely on a horizontal stud 19, and pressed
outwards by a spring 20, it being this spring which makes the inner end
of the catch lever 17 enter the notch of the fork rod 14. The small
pulley 18 has on it two projections, an angular one 21 on its outer face,
and a slightly hooked one 22 on its circumference, the former engaging
with a similar angular projection on a grooved pulley 23 driven by a
cord from the doffer shaft 9 above. The weighing scale lever 4 has
projecting from the side of it a pin 24, in such a position as to be
encountered by the projection 22 on the small pulley 18 whenever the
scale 1 descends a little on the fibrous materials in it reaching the
proper weight. As long as the scale 1 is up the small pulley 18 revolves
by the action of the outer grooved pulley 23, but on the scale descending
the projection 24 on the lever 4 stops this small pulley 18, and then the
action on its angular projection 22 of that on the outer pulley 23 causes
it to move inwards and compress the spring 20. This action takes tho
catch lever 17 out of the notch of the fork rod 14, which instantly falls,
being assisted by a spring 25, and shifts the driving belt 11 to the loose

page_text: pulley. This at once stops the supplying of the fibrous materials to the
scale 1, and the materials on the scale are subsequently transferred from
it to the forwarding apron 16 by a paddle or rake 26, carried by means
of arms 27 from a transverse horizontal shaft 28, which has fast on it a
weighted lever 29 to return the paddle inwards after each outward
movement. A lever 30, fast on the paddle shaft 28, is connected by a
link 31 to a lever 32, conveniently placed for being acted on by a
cam 33 on the same shaft as the starting cam 15, the cam 33 acting on
an antifriction roller carried by the lever. After each action of the
cam 33, and the consequent transference of the fibrous materials from
the scale 1 to the forwarding apron 16, the other cam 15 coming round
raises the fork rod 14 up again, and restarts the mechanism which
supplies the fibrous materials to the scale.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the
precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to
be novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,—
1. The effecting of the transference of the fibrous materials from the
weighing scale of a "first feed" machine by means of a paddle or rake
arranged and acting substantially as herein-before described.
2. The combining of mechanism, substantially such as is herein-before
described, for interrupting the supply of fibrous materials with the
paddle or rake mechanism for removing the materials from the scale.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jonas Tatham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JONAS TATHAM. (L.S.)