AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE COTTON FROM COTTON PODS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel, Dreyfous, of Paris, France, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE COTTON
FROM COTTON PODS:"-A communication from Michel Alcan, residing
at Paris, France.
Sealed the 17th October 1868, and dated the 21st April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Dreyfous at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st April 1868.
I, SAMUEL DREYFOUS, of Paris, France, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
REMOVING THE COTTON FROM COTTON PODS," a communication from Michel
Alcan, a person residing at Paris, France, to be as follows:-
Hitherto the plucking or removing of the cotton wool from. the pods
so as to leave the husks behind was performed by hand. The present
Invention relates to improved apparatus for depriving the cotton
pods of their wool by mere mechanical means, the apparatus procuring.

page_text: at the same time a suitable beating and opening of the cotton, thus
preparing this latter for and facilitating the subsequent operation of
ginning.
In 'the annexed Drawings Fig. 1 shows a top view, and Fig. 2a
longitudinal sectional view of some of the principal working parts of the
machine. In Fig. 1 part of the breadth of the machine is represented
cut away.
A is a feeding apron for carrying the pods from which 'the cotton wool
is to be removed between a pair of revolving rollers B, B', provided with
suitable longitudinal flutings or serrations b, which do not extend over
the entire length of the rollers, but are interrupted at suitable intervals
so as to leave open or smooth parts 6. These rollers B and B are
intended for suitably opening the pods so as to allow of the cotton
becoming separated therefrom by the effect of a second pair of revolving
rollers C, C³, provided with flutings or serrations over their entire length,
from which pair of rollers C, O¹, the cotton is further removed by means
of a revolving stripping fan or beater D, consisting of a wooden cylinder
or drum D in the outer surface of which are fixed flexible leather
wings-d, situated longitudinally on the said cylinder, though not-parallel
with the axis of this latter, but in an oblique direction in respect to this
axis. An endless revolving grating or apron E serves for carrying the
cotton stripped off from the rollers C, C', by the wings d of the revolving
fan or beater D out of the apparatus, which latter may be driven by
steam power or any other suitable prime mover, and the motion be
transmitted to the various working parts by suitable gearing or other
mechanical means not represented in the Drawings. The arrows in
Fig. 2 show the direction of the revolving motion of the rollers and of
the fan or beater D.
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Dreyfous in the Great Seal Patent Office on 3
the 21st October 1868.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent, Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Samuel Dreyfous, Hér special licence that
I, the said Samuel Dreyfous, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Samuel Dreyfous, 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, exercise,, and vend,, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,. the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REMOVING
THE COTTON FROM COTTON PODS," a communication from Michael Alcan, a
person residing at Paris, France,. upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Samuel Dreyfous,, 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 Samuel Dreyfous, 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:
The removing or separating of the cotton fibres or what is commonly
called the cotton wool from the cotton pods or bolls so as to leave the
husks behind is up to this moment universally performed by hand, and
takes place either by merely plucking the tufts of cotton together with
the seeds from the pods, thus leaving these latter on the plant, or what.
is more generally the case by gathering the pods. or. bolls-with. the cotton.
wool and seeds adhering thereto, after which, the separation, of the tufts.
and seeds from the bolls so as to leave the husks behind is performed.
by hand. The imperfect and slowness, and the cost of this operation
when performed by hand labor may be easily understood, and the same
constitutes in fact one of the great drawbacks: against the raising of
cotton in those parts of the world where hand labor is either difficult to

page_text: be obtained at a suitable cheap rate, or in those in which hand labor
notwithstanding its cheapness proceeds so slowly as to put the cotton
growers under the necessity of keeping constantly considerable stocks of
cotton in store. The apparatus which forms the object of the present
Invention is, intended for removing the cotton wool from the pods by
mere mechanical means, and in a more perfect manner than was hitherto
obtained, the machine procuring at the same time a suitable opening and
cleansing of the cotton tufts so as to facilitate the separating of the
seeds therefrom or other subsequent operations.
In the annexed Drawings Fig. 1 shows a vertical elevation, & Fig. 2
à top view of the machine; whereas Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal
sectional view of some of the principal working parts of the same in
order to make the principle of working of these parts more easily under-
stood. In Fig. 2 part of the width or breadth of the machine is repre-
sented as cut away. In Fig. 1, that part of the gearing only situated on
this side of the machine is shown, whereas that situated on the opposite
side is represented in diagram in red lines. In the three Figures the
same letters refer to corresponding parts.
The machine consists of a strong frame of cast iron or other suitable
material for carrying the various working parts. A is an endless cloth,
apron, or grating, on which are laid the cotton pods or bolls to be
deprived of their downy filaments, or what is commonly called the cotton
wool. The said apron carries the pods between a pair of revolving
rollers B & B, provided with suitable longitudinal flutings or serrations 6,
which do not extend however in one uninterrupted line over the entire
length of these rollers, but arc on the contrary interrupted at suitable
intervals so as to leave a suitable number of open or smooth cylindrical
parts 6. These rollers B & B' are intended to procure the opening of
the pods so as to allow of the wool becoming separated therefrom by
the effect of a second pair of fluted revolving rollers C & C³, the flutings
or serrations of which do not offer interruptions like those of the rollers
B & B', but extend uninterrupted over their entire length. In passing
between these two pairs of rollers the husks of the pods become suitably
broken without in the slightest degree impairing the cotton fibres, the
tufts of cotton remaining compact and more or less adhering so as to
require of being properly opened and separated, which is effectuated by
means of a sort of revolving blower, stripping fan, or beater D, consisting

page_text: of a large wooden drum, in the outer surface of which are fixed at
suitable intervals apart a series of flexible leather wings d'extending
longitudinally over the outside of the said drum, but which wings & arc
not situated parallel with the axis of the drum, but are set in an oblique
3 direction in respect to this axis. During the revolution of this beater
or fan D the flexible leather wings & exert a sort of beating and venti-
lating effect on the cotton fibres without in any degree altering the
strength of these latter, at the same time drawing them from between
the rollers C&C', and throwing them on an endless revolving grating
or apron E, by which the cotton is carried out of the machine.
P,
As may be easily understood various mechanical means may be
resorted to for imparting motion to the various working parts of the
apparatus, I prefer, however, making use of the following arrangement:-
M represents the main arbor or driving shaft, receiving motion from
any suitable prime mover by means of the fast and loose pulleys P & P¹.
On this arbor M is fixed a wheel R in gear with a pinion r fixed on the
arbor D' of the fan beater D. A conical gearing N & N¹ transmits the
motion of the main arbor M to an arbor O revolving in bearings O¹ & O³,
and is provided with an endless screw or worm V in gear with a wheel.
the arbor p² of which carries another wheel p' in gear with a wheel q
which latter drives the wheel y' fitted on the arbor of the lower
roller C, the wheel y¹ on its turn drives the wheel y fitted on the
arbor of the upper roller C. The wheel q also drives the wheel x²,
fitted on the arbor of the lower roller B', on the other end of which
arbor is fitted the wheel ¹ which drives the wheel of the upper
roller B; on the same side as the wheel x are situated three wheels
*, *¹, & ³, the one & fitted on the driving roller E¹ of the endless grating
or apron E, the one z¹ fitted as an intermediate or connecting wheel on
a small arbor, and the wheel fitted on the driving roller A³ of the
endless feed apron A.
.
As already mentioned above the transmission of motion to the various
working parts of the apparatus may be varied according as found
necessary, and I consequently do not lay so much importance on this
part of the Invention as on the peculiar shape and novel features of the
rollers B & B, the serrations or flutings of which are interrupted at
suitable intervals so as to leave vacant smooth cylindrical parts, which
rollers are not only applicable for the breaking of cotton bolls for the.

page_text: object of separating the cotton from them, but also for other analogous
purposes in which certain hard parts are to be broken in order to
separate therefrom the adhering fibrous materials, such,, for instance,
as the crushing of cocoa nuts and the separating of the cocoa nut fibres
from them.
I likewise lay great importance on the arrangement of the ventilating
fan blower or beater D, whether this blower as well as the rollers B & B¹
are made use of separately or in combination with each other, with
one or more pairs of ordinary fluted rollers C & C or other suitable
working parts.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of
the Invention, and the mode in which the same is or may be per-
formed or made to operate, I wish it to be understood that I do not
intend to restrict myself to the exact details of what has been above
described, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating
from the main features of the Invention, but what I consider to be novel
and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
above recited Letters Patent is,-
:
1ly. The arrangement of the rollers B & B, whether these rollers be
used alone or in combination with one or several other pairs of rollers
C & C or other working parts, and whatever be the metal or material
they are made of, their size, or the dimensions of their flutings, and those
of the vacant smooth spaces left at suitable intervals over part of the
length of these flutings, or whatever may be the distance at which the
said rollers are set apart and their speed of revolution.
2ly. The peculiar arrangement of the fan blower or ventilating, beater D
for the object of disaggregating the mass of fibrous materials and
developing the fibres without injuring them.
3ly. The general arrangement and combination of the various above
described working parts so as to form a machine subservient either for
separating the cotton wool or filaments from cotton pods or bolls
or as a preparatory machine for opening the cotton previous to the
separation of the seeds therefrom, or in fact at any other suitable period
previous to spinning, whilst according to the work to be performed by
the machine the various working parts may be combined together in any
other suitable manner than that above described, and if required only

page_text: some of these working parts be made use of in combination or not
with other known mechanical arrangements.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Dreyfous, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight."
Witness,
A. G. BRADE.
DREYFOUS. (L.S.)
Eng. Civil.