IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Ford, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
Manager, and Peter Knowles, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the same County,
Overlooker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CLEANING AND PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 6th January 1857, and dated the 16th July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Ford and Peter
Knowles at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 16th July 1856.
- WC, JAMES FORD, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, and
PETER KNOWLES, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the same County, Overlooker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,
to be as follows:-
"
Our Invention consists in the application of machinery for batting or striking
cotton or other fibrous substances. The machinery consists of arms pro-
jecting from a central shaft, to which a vibrating motion is given, or of other
equivalent agents. The arins strike on the fibrous substance, and the dirt,
seeds, or other impurities drop through the interstices of the feeding apron or
other support on which the fibrous substance is laid.
Our Invention also consists-in-the-application of a revolving roller-covered

page_text: with teeth or projections, and placed between two sets of feed rollers to prepare
the fibrous substance for the beater of the blower, or other machine of the like
nature, to which this part of our improvements is applied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Ford and Peter. Knowles in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th January 1857
43
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
FORD, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, and PETER KNOWLES,
of Bolton-le-Moors, in the same County, Overlooker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of. Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Ford and Peter Knowles, Her special license that we, the said
James Ford and Peter Knowles, our executors, administrators,, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said James Ford and Peter, Knowles, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING
AND PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said James Ford and Peter Knowles, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their,
or one of our or their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascer
tain 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 James Ford and Peter Knowles, 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):-
The nature of our Invention consists, first, in the application of machinery.
instead of manual labour, for batting or striking cotton or other. fibrous sub-S

page_text: stances in order to; loosen or remove the impurities mixed therewith; and;
secondly, in the application of a revolving roller covered with teeth or pro
jections, and placed between two sets of feed rollers, to prepare, the fibrous
material for the beater of the blower, or other machine of the. like nature.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, we will proceed to describe the means pursued by us, reference being.
had. to the accompanying Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
:
:
www
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of part of a blowing machine. of the ordi-
nary construction, to which our improvements are applied; Figure 2 is a plan
of the same. a is the apron, on which the cotton or other fibrous substances to
be operated upon is spread by hand in the usual manner; b, b, is a pair.of feed
rollers made with hooked teeth set at such a distance apart that the teeth.of
the upper roller enter in.the space between those of the lower roller; c'is a
revolving roller covered with projections, as shewn, or with teeth; d is a grid;
placed under the roller c, to allow the impurities loosened by the action of the
roller c on the fibrous substances to pass through; e,is a perforated plate, over,
which the fibrous substances pass before they are carried forward by the feed
rollers ff, by which they a are presented to the beater g, which is constructed in
the ordinary manner; the other portions of the blowing machine are not shewn
in the Drawing, as they may be made according to any approved mode. The
pipe h under the plate,e is in communication with the fan of the blowing
machine, in order that the partial vacuum produced by the fan may draw the
dust or
light impurities from the fibrous substance in its passage, over the said
plate e.
A perforated sheet metal roller may be applied instead of the plate e.
Above the feeding apron a we have shewn one mode of constructing our
machinery for batting or striking the fibrous substances in their passage over
the apron. This machinery consists of the shafts i, i, to which are screwed or
otherwise attached the arms j, j These arms have a vibrating motion imparted
to them by the crank k projecting from the pulley l, which is driven from the
beater shaft g'; the crank k is connected by the crank m to a lever ', fixed to
one of the shafts i, and the lever ¹ is connected to a similar lever on the other
shaft i by the link n. When the machine is at work it is evident that the
rotary motion of the pulley imparts a vibrating motion to the arms j, j; this
action of the arms on the fibrous substances, carried forward by the apron a,
causes the dirt, seeds, or other loose impurities to drop through the interstices
of the feeding apron. The fibrous substances-are-then-taken forward-by-the-
feed rollers b, b, the teeth of which are so placed that they do not crush the
seeds that may remain among the cotton or other fibrous substances, conse-

page_text: quently the action of the roller c separates the fibres from the seeds, which then
drop through the grid d. The fibrous substances in passing over the plate e, or
the perforated roller, that may be used instead, are again purified from dust and
light impurities by the action of the current of air in the pipe h, and they are
then taken forward by the feed rollers f, f, to the beater g, the subsequent
operations being performed in the usual manner.
We wish it to be understood that although we have shewn our improvements
combined and applied to the same machine, they may be used independently
of each other, and the batting or striking of the fibrous substances may be per-
formed on a separate machine. The machinery for effecting this object is
capable of being very much modified.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we declare that what we claim is,―
First, batting or striking cotton or other. fibrous substances by machinery
instead of by hand, as heretofore customary.
And, secondly, the application of the additional feed rollers b, b; the roller c,
and the perforated plate e, or roller used in its stead, to blowing machines, and
other machines of the like nature.
In witness whereof,- I, the said Peter Knowles, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord'
One thousand eight.hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
PETER KNOWLES. (L.S.)