CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Kenyon and James Kenyon, both
of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinners, for
the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING
Sealed the 30th April 1875, and dated the 1st March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Kenyon
and James Kenyon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 1st March 1875.
We, JOHN HENRY KENYON and JAMES KENYON, both of Blackburn,
in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinners, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in placing on or near one or more of the
carding rollers or the dirt roller a presser roller, which rests on the
carding or dirt roller and revolves with it. The presser roller may also
be stationary, in which case it must be placed close to but not in contact

page_text: with the wire of the roller with which it works. But we prefer the
presser roller to revolve.
The object of this Invention is to lay the fibres on the carding or dirt
roller or rollers, thus greatly improving the carding; also to force the
dirt into the wire of the said roller or rollers, thus partially fastening
the dirt in the wire and preventing it from being carried forward by the
main cylinder.
Our Invention considerably improves the carding of the fibres,
economises manual labour in cleaning, and reduces waste.
In operating upon long fibres, such as silk, wool, flax, or long stapled
cotton we apply a fan or winged layer to the carding roller or rollers,
which fan or layer may be smooth, toothed, or covered with card
leather at that part which comes in contact with the fibres to hold them
against the surface of the said roller or rollers, or a perforated roller
through which a current of air is forced may be employed for the same
purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Kenyon and James Kenyon in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HENRY KENYON and JAMES KENYON, both of Blackburn, in the County
of Lancaster, Cotton Spinners, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Henry Kenyon and James Kenyon,
Her special licence that we, the said John Henry Kenyon and James
Kenyon, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said John Henry Kenyon and James Kenyon, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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,

page_text: .
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,” upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Henry Kenyon
and James Kenyon, 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 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 we, the said John Henry Kenyon and James
Kenyon, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :—
Our Invention consists in placing on or near one or more of the
carding rollers or the dirt roller a presser roller, which rests on the
carding or dirt roller and revolves with it. The presser roller may also
be stationary, in which case it must be placed close to but not in contact
with the wire of the roller with which it works. But we prefer the
presser roller to revolve.
The object of this Invention is to lay the fibres on the carding or dirt
roller or rollers, thus greatly improving the carding; also to force the
dirt into the wire of the said roller or rollers, thus partially fastening
the dirt in the wire and preventing it from being carried forward by the
main cylinder.
Our Invention considerably improves the carding of the fibres,
economises manual labour in cleaning, and reduces waste.
In operating upon long fibres, such as silk, wool, flax, or long stapled
cotton we apply a roller or a fan or winged layer to the carding roller
or rollers to lay the fibres thereon, which fan or layer may be smooth,
toothed, or covered with card leather at that part which comes in
contact with the fibres to hold them against the surface of the said roller
or rollers, or a perforated roller through which a current of air is forced
may be employed for the same purpoșe.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying

page_text: Drawing, which represents part of an ordinary woollen carding engine
to which our improvements are applied.
a, a, represent the feed rollers; b, the licker-in; c, the roller that
strips the fibres off the licker-in and deposits them on the main cylinder &;
e, e, are the carding or working rollers; and f, f, the stripping rollers.
All these parts may be made in the usual manner. Near to each
carding roller e is placed the layer roller g, the object of which is to lay
the fibres projecting from on to the roller e. Between the rollerse and
f is placed the pressing roller h, which holds the fibres against the
surface of the said rollers. When the carding engine is at work a
portion of the fibres carried forward by the main cylinder is caught by
the roller e, and the projecting fibres are laid or partially laid by the
roller g, after which they are again pressed down into the card clothing
of the rollers e and f by the roller h, so that when the fibres are again
presented to the main cylinder by the stripping roller f they are in the
proper position for being carded and separated from the dirt or dust,
which is pressed into the wire clothing of the rollers fand e, thereby
improving the carding, avoiding injury to the staple, economising manual
labour in cleaning and grinding, increasing the durability of the card
clothing, and reducing the waste.
The presser rollers h are turned slowly round in the direction of the
arrow by a toothed chain passing over a pulley on the axle of the licker-
in 6, as shewn by dotted lines, or in any other convenient manner, and
the layer rollers g are also turned round in the same direction, but at a
greater surface speed by a strap from the main cylinder, as shewn in
dotted lines, or in any other convenient manner. The fibres are stripped
from the main cylinder d and deposited on the doffer i by the roller j,
and the taper filling pieces k are fixed inside the framing between the
main cylinder and the doffer to prevent the accumulation or escape of
the wool or other fibres, and to make the selvages of the fleece even.
The rollers g and h are mounted in adjustable bearings to regulate their
positions.
In some cases the presser roller h may be stationary, but when such
is the case the surface thereof must be placed close to but not in contact
with the clothing of the rollers e and f. It is however desirable to let 3
it revolve as shewn and described.
We prefer to make the circumference of the presser roller perfectly
smooth, but do not limit ourselves thereto.

page_text: The layer roller g is also shewn with a smooth surface. As such a
roller is found to lay the fibres on the roller e we wish however to
remark that the fibres may be laid by a fan or a winged instrument,
either smooth, toothed, or covered with card fillet or leather; or other
suitable instrument for laying the fibres on the roller e may be used, or
a perforated roller through which a current of air is forced may be
employed for the same purpose.
The presser roller and the layer instrument may either be used
combined, as shewn, which combination we prefer, or separately, and
although we have only shewn our Invention as applied to a woollen
carding engine we wish it to be understood that it is equally applicable
with slight modifications to cotton, silk, flax, and other similar fibres.
The presser and layer may be applied to one or to any number of
worker and clearer rollers, or to the roller commonly called the dirt
roller.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described a
convenient mode of performing the same, we declare that we claim,-
First. The application of the presser or holding roller h to the carding
or working rollers, or to the dirt roller of carding engines, as shewn and
described.
And, Secondly. The application of the layer or laying instrument g to
the carding or working rollers, and to the stripping rollers, or to the dirt
rollers of carding engines, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Henry Kenyon and James
Kenyon, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
fourth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.