IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBRES." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henry Rushton and Benjamin Alfred Dobson,
both of the Firm of Messieurs Dobson and Barlow, of Bolton, in the County
of Lancaster, Machine Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBRES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Henry Rushton
and Benjamin Alfred Dobson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 6th December 1879.
THOMAS HENRY RUSHTON and BENJAMIN ALFRED DOBSON, both of the Firm of
Messieurs Dobson and Barlow, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN PREPARING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBRES."
Our improvements in grinding cards consist in reducing the surface speed of the
cylinder and doffer of the carding engine, and increasing that of the grinding roller,
and also avoiding the necessity of changing the main driving strap of the carding
engine by crossing it. We place a small pulley on the cylinder shaft outside the
loose pulley, and connected to it; this drives by a crossed strap on the doffer shaft
a large pulley which drives back to the fast pulley of the card from a small to a
large pulley, thus reducing the surface speed of the surfaces to be ground. The
grinding rollers are driven from a large pulley on the doffer shaft; by this means
the grinding is more perfectly performed, with less injury to the wire, and with less
emery.
Our improvements in combing machines consists in making the nipper knife and
cushion plates of Heilmann's combing machine without grooves, as heretofore, and
attaching to it a plate of india. rubber or other elastic material; also in constructing
the cushion plate with one acute edge to press on the above named plate of elastic
material. Our improvements in the regulating of feed rollers on scutchers, cards,
and other machines for preparing cotton, consists in the application of a differential
motion to be driven by the cone drums, whilst the feed roller gear is driven
direct by a shaft from some other motion of the machine, thus relieving the cone
drums or other variable apparatus from the whole of the strain required to drive
the feed part.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Henry Rushton and Benjamin Alfred Dobson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th June 1880.
THOMAS HENRY RUSHTON and BENJAMIN ALFRED DOBSON, both of the Firm of
Messieurs Dobson and Barlow, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED IN PREPARING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBRES."
Our Invention consists in certain improvements in machinery for preparing cotton
and other fibres, and consists, firstly, in an improved method of grinding card;
secondly, in an improved nipper knife and cushion plate for Heilmann's combing
machines; and thirdly, in improvements in regulating and driving feed rollers on
scutchers, cards, and other machines for preparing cotton and other fibres. And in
order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect,
we will describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, reference being had to
the figures and letters marked thereon. On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of
part of a carding engine, and Fig. 2 is a plan of part of the same shewing our
improved method of grinding the card cylinder and doffer. a is a small pulley
fixed to or cast with the loose pulley on the cylinder shaft; this pulley a drives by
a crossed strap a large pulley b keyed or fixed on the doffer shaft. The pulley b is
connected to or cast with a smaller pulley c, which by an open strap drives back to
the fast pulley of the card cylinder, thus reducing the speed of the surfaces to be
ground, and obviating the necessity of crossing the main driving strap. The grinding
rollers d, d, are driven from a large pulley e on the doffer shaft; by this means the
grinding is more perfectly performed, with less injury to the wire, and with less
emery.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the nipper knife and cushion plate of a
Heilmann combing machine, and Fig. 4 is a cross section of the same. fis the shaft
carrying the nipper knife bracket; g is the nipper knife made without grooves, and
provided with a piece of india rubber or other elastic material h against which the
edge of the cushion plate i is pressed to hold the cotton whilst being combed. The
cushion plate is also without grooves, and formed with an acute edge, as shewn ;
is a small guide attached to the cushion plate, which comes against the nipper
knife to keep the cushion plate in one position when pressed against the india rubber
or other elastic material.
On Sheet 2 Fig. 5 is a side elevation of part of a scutcher to which our improve-
ments are applied, and Fig. 6 is a plan of part of the same. j and j¹ are the cone
drums driven from the main shaft by a side shaft h; on this shaft k we place a
worm which drives a worm wheel a fixed on a stud l. Cast with the worm
wheel is a spur wheel m which drives a spur wheel n keyed on the upright
shaft o. On the upper end of the shaft o is a worm o¹ which drives a worm wheel p
fixed to the bevel wheel p¹, which forms part of an ordinary "jack-in-the-box
motion and drives the feed roller q. This arrangement relieves the cone drums
from the greater portion of the strain required to drive the feed. The required
variation of speed is produced by the cone drums through the shaft r, worm rl, and
worm wheel 8. The worm wheels carries two of the bevel wheels shewn, and forms
part of the "jack-in-the-box" motion.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same, we declare that we claim,—
First. The arrangement shewn and described for reducing the surface speed of
the cylinder and doffer of carding engines, and increasing that of the rollers for
grinding the same.
Secondly. The improved construction of nipper knife and cushion plate for
Heilmann's combing machines, as shewn and described, and

page_text: Thirdly. Driving the feed rollers of scutchers, cards, and other machines for
preparing cotton by gearing, to which only part of the motion is communicated
through the cone drums or other variable apparatus, and relieving the cone drums
or other variable apparatus from a great part of the strain of driving the feed part,
substantially as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Alfred Dobson, for myself and on
behalf of the said Thomas Henry Rushton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of June, One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
BEN ALF DOBSON

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