IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of Bradford, in the County of York,
Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB-
Scaled the 5th August 1859, and dated the 7th February 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
February 1859.
I, JOHN SMITH, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This invention consists, firstly, in the employment of a circular carrying
comb, baving comb teeth on its rim or periphery, and supported on suitable
bearings and framework, with an endless web placed upon rollers or pullies,
one of which pullies has comb theeth on each edge of its rim to which wool
or other fibre is fed by means of feeding rollers suspended immediately over it
in a frame which has an oscillatory motion in the direction of the axes of the
pulley, so that the fibre is caught by the theeth of the said pulley at every
oscillation, thereby laying it in laps across the endless web, which is caused to
travel with and deposit the said fibre on the circular carrying comb, and which
is pressed thereon by means of a series of rotating discs, entering in between
cach row of theeth. Rotating combs are paced near each edge of the
carrying comb, with their axes at right angles to the axes of the said carrying
comb, the teeth of which are so formed or arranged as to take into and

page_text: straighten the wool or other fibre which projects or overhangs the edge of the
carrying comb. Circular brushes are applied to strip any refuse from the
rotating combs that may adhere thereto. A brake is applied to hold the wool
on the carrying comb at the point where the rotating combs come in contact
therewith, or the wool may be held by a small circular comb, composed of a
series of rings of teeth, which intersect the teeth on the carrying comb. The
wool is then drawn off in a sliver from the carrying comb, by means of
fluted rollers, such as are in general use.
Secondly, in the employment of a series of rectangular double comb surfaces,
arranged upon a frame on which the are caused to travel in a lateral or
sidewise direction, by means of screws, cams, or cranks, which impart an
accelerated motion at suitable times thereto, so that the said comb surfaces
will gradually separate and leave each other at determinate times or places,
or at their proper destination, when they are carried off at right angles by
other cams or cranks, and impelled forward by a "star wheel
pitched cog
wheel or other suitable driving menus, each comb following in
close order to a place where they are again diverted at right angles by other
similar screws, cams, or cranks, and star wheel which carry them back to the
first named cams or cranks, and so on. The said comb surfaces continuing to
travel in a quadrangle or to form a quadrangular figure in the line of trave!.
The wool or other fibre to be combed is fed on to these comb surfaces at the
point or place where they are in contact with each other, by rotating or by
raising and falling brushes, and as the combs separate the wool or other fibre
is gradually drawn out from each comb or set of comb teeth projecting from
each edge or si<le of such comb surfaces, which is, when the said combs are
travelling endwise, taken hold of and drawn off or out from the teeth of the
combs on each side, by pairs of drawing rollers arranged in the line of transit
or travel thereof, leaving the "noil" in the comb to be afterwards taken out
by "strippers" or "doffers" also placed in the line of travel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Smith, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
August 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SMITH, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Smith, Her special licence that I, the said John
Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Smith, 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 law-
fully 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND COMBING
WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Smith, by an an instrument in writing, under
my hand and seal, 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
l'atent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Smith, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by tho
following statement (that is to say):-
This invention consists, firstly, in the employment of a circular carrying
comb, having comb teeth on its rim or periphery, and supported on suitable
bearings and framework, with an endless web placed upon rollers or pullies,
one of which pullies has comb teeth on each edge of its rim to which wool
or other fibre is fed by means of feeding rollers suspended immediately over
it in a frame, which has an oscillatory motion in the direction of the axis of
the pulley, so that the fibre is caught by the teeth of the said pulley at every
oscillation, thereby laying it in laps across the endless web, which is caused to
travel with and deposit the said fibre on the circular carrying comb, and which
is pressed thereon by means of a series of rotating discs entering in between
each row of teeth. Rotating combs are placed near each edge of the carrying
comb, with their axes at right angles to the axes of the said carrying comb,
the teeth of which are so formed or arranged as to take into and straighten
the wool or other fibre which projects or overhangs the edge of the carrying
comb, circular brushes are applied to strip any refuse from the rotating combs
that may adhere thereto. A brake is applied to hold the wool on the carrying
comb at the point where the rotating combs come in contact therewith; or
the wool may be held by a small circular comb, composed of a series of rings

page_text: of teeth, which intersect the teeth on the carrying comb. The wool is then
drawn off in a sliver from the carrying comb, by means of fluted rollers, such
as are in general use.
.
Secondly, in the employment of a series of rectangular double comb
surfaces arranged upon a frame on which they are caused to travel in a lateral
or sidewise direction, by means of screws, cams, or cranks which impart an
accelerated motion at suitable times thereto, so that the said comb surfaces will
gradually separate and leave each other at determinate times or places, or at
their proper destination, when they are carried off at right angles by other
cams or cranks, and impelled forward by a "star wheel" or coarse pitched
cog wheel, or other suitable driving means, each comb following in close order
to a place where they are again diverted at right angles by other similar
screws, cams, or cranks, and star wheel which carry them back to the first
named cams, or cranks, and so on, the said comb surfaces continuing to travel
in a quadrangle or to form a quadrangular figure in the line of travel.
The wool or other fibre to be combed, is fed on to these comb surfaces at the
point or place where they are in contact with each other by rotating or by
raising and falling brushes, and as the combs separate the wool or other fibre
is gradually drawn out from each comb or set of comb teeth projecting from
each edge or side of such comb surfaces, which is, when the said combs are
travelling end wise taken hold of and drawn off or out from the teeth of the
combs on each side by pairs of drawing rollers arranged in the line of transit
or travel thereof, leaving the "noil" in the comb to be afterwards taken out
by strippers" or "doffers," also placed in the line of travel. This Invention
will be fully understood by reference to the accompanying two Sheets of
Drawings and letters thereon.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) is a side elevation of a machine or apparatus, accord-
ing to the first part of this Invention, and Figure 2 is an end elevation of the
same. A is the circular carrying comb, mounted upon a shaft a, on which is
also affixed a worm wheel b, which gears with a worm b¹ on the drining
shaft B, from which a slow rotary motion is given or communicated to the
said comb. C is the endless web (which may be of any suitable material)
carried on rollers or pullies c and c', the latter having teeth set at an angle on
each edge of its rim, clear of the sides or edges of the endless web, motion
being communicated thereto by cord or strap and pullies from the shaft a.
.D, the feeding rollers and frame suspended from a bracket E, on which they
are caused to oscillate by means of the arm d, connecting rod d', and crank
or stud plate d affixed on the driving shaft F, a series of discs or circular
plates fixed on a shaft and placed so as to enter in between the rows of teeth

page_text: on the carrying comb, being driven thereby, and which press the wool or other
fibre into the teeth of the said carrying comb, as. it is supplied thereto by the
endless web. H, H, are the rotary, or circular combs placed one on each
side of the carrying comb upon shafts, which are geared together by spur
wheels I, I, and which receive rotary motion from a pinion J, affixed on the
driving shaft, which combs are for straightening the wool that overhangs or
projects beyond the edges of the carrying comb. K, K, are the circular
brushes deriving motion from the shaft B, by cord and pullies, for removing
any refuse from the combs E, which may adhere thereto. L is a brake or
pressing lever, formed of a series of plates or blades which enter in betwixt
the teeth of the carrying comb, being hinged at one end to the framing, and
weighted at the other, for holding the wool or other fibre on the comb A,
whilst the combs H, are operating upon it. M, M, are ordinary drawing
off rollers placed on each side of the comb A, so as to take or draw off a
sliver from each side of the said carrying comb, the noil being stripped out by
a series of fixed blades N, or by any other suitable means.
Figure 1 (Sheet 2) is an end elevation of a machine constructed according
to the second part of my said Invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation;
Figure 3 is a plan, and Figure 4, a cross section of the same, though the
dotted line in Fig. 3: A, are the rectangular double comb surfaces arranged
upon the frame B, which frame forms a quadrangle of slides or grooved rails
on which the combs are caused to slide or travel, first in a lateral direction, or
sideways, by means of the screws C, E, which act against pins projecting from
the under side of the combs. These screws are constructed with a variable
pitch of thread (that is) the pitch not equal, but gradually increasing from
one end of the screws to the other, so as to produce an accelarating movement
of the combs, whereby the said combs will separate from each other gradually
as they proceed along the slides towards the coarser pitched end of the screws.
On arriving at the end of the screw C, the combs are taken hold of by
catches a, attached to the frame b, which is hinged to a lever c, and operated by
a crank d, by the action of which they are suddenly carried forward into gear
with the star wheel D, by the rotation of which they are diverted and carried
off at right angles to the former line of travel, at such speed as that cach
comb will have moved the length of itself endways by the time the succeeding
comb arrives at the end of the screws, the lever c, and catches a being again
operated to carry it forward into gear with the star wheel, as before explained,
when it takes its position in proper order, and follows the former comb, being
impelled forward by the star wheel D, and when such comb arrives at the
other end of the slide rail, it is again diverted at right angles thereto

page_text: by other similar catches e, frame f, lever g, and crank h, which suddenly
transfers it out of the way of the succeeding comb, to the screws E, which
cause it to travel or slide at an accelarating speed, as before explained in
respect of the screws C, until it arrives at the other end of the said screws,
and is placed in gear with the star wheel G, when it is again diverted thereby
at right angles, and carried forward by the said star wheel G, in like manner
as previously described in respect to the star wheel D. Thus the whole series
or set of combs are caused to move or slide in proper order continuously along
the four sides of the quadrangular frame. E is the main driving shaft, which
by means of bevil gear I, gives motion to the screws C and E, and by spur
gear J, to the shaft K, which gives motion by bevil gear L, to the star
wheel D, and by bevil gear M, shaft N, and bevil gear O, to the star wheel G,
also by the pulley and strap P, gives motion to the shaft Q, which by means of the
pullies and straps R, S, drives or gives motion to the drawing off rollers T, U,
which are placed on each side of the line of travel of the combs, so as to take
or draw off a sliver from each edge thereof, as they pass along. The wool or
other fibre to be operated upon is fed on to the combs at the point or place
where they are in contact with each other, by means of a trough or conductor,
as shewn at V in Figure 1, and is pressed into the comb teeth by a rising and
falling brush W, worked by a crank, &c., in the usual manner, and as the
combs travel or are moved forward by the screws, they separate and draw out
the wool or other fibre from each other, and when passing betwixt the pairs of
drawing-off rollers, the wool or other fibre projecting from each side of tho
said comb surfaces is taken hold of by the said rollers and drawn off in slivers,
one from each side or each edge of the combs; the combs being made
double. Wool or fibre is fed to the combs at each pair of screws, at the
point where they are in contact with each other, thus constituting this a
double machine. Strippers or doffers for taking out the noil are placed in the
line of travel, as shewn at X, Y, which are thin taper plates or blades enter-
ing in betwixt each row of teeth on the combs, thus ploughing the noil out
thereof, which may be taken away by nipping rollers or other suitable means.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Sinith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.