IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."-A communication-
TD
Switzerland
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th April 1855.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPA--
RATUS FOR PREPARING COTTON & OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," a communication
from Jean Beugger, of Wülflingen, Switzerland, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of
mechanism for effecting the slubbing and roving of cotton and other fibrous
substances, whereby the differential movement imparted to the spools is dis-
pensed with. By the arrangement of mechanism herein-after referred to,
the slivers or filaments are wound on to a spindle in rings of equal diameter
laid one on the top of the other, each ring or coil covering a portion of

page_text: the preceding rings or coils. These successive rings are wound eccentrically
round a common centre or spindle. The mode of accomplishing this con-
sists in the employment of a can, fitted internally with a piston, which is
covered at its upper surface with a piece of cloth or other material neces-
sary for obtaining the requisite friction at the commencement of the spool.
This piston is perforated in the centre, and is passed over a spindle
which serves
to withdraw the spool when completed. The can receives
a rotatory motion from a bevil pinnion fitted on to its lower extremity.
On the top of the can is fitted a collar, which is formed with teeth round
its circumference, and receives a rotatory motion thereby from a spur wheel.
Into this collar is fitted a disc or ring in which is formed an aperture.
In this aperture is fitted eccentrically a second disc, having teeth formed
on its circumference. Above the collar is fitted to turn loosely an inter-
nally and externally toothed wheel, which receives its rotation from a spur
wheel gearing into the external teeth, whilst its internal teeth give motion to
the eccentric disc, herein-before referred to.. Thus the can revolves by means
of its bevil gearing, and the eccentric disc revolves on its own centre and
round the centre or axes of the can by the aid of the collar and spur wheel,
herein-before referred to. In order to enable the spool to be withdrawn from
the can when completed without materially disturbing the mechanism thereof,
the ring which carries the eccentric disc is fitted into the cylinder by frictional
contact only, and may therefore be removed with facility. For facilitating
the cleaning or repairing of the eccentric disc, it is fixed by means of suitable
springs or spring jaws, with pins on their extremities, taking into the sides
of the disc. The sliver on passing from the drawing rollers enters a hole in the
eccentric disc, having previously been passed through a guide eye in a bridle
piece fitted on to the top of the can, and its extremity rests upon the cloth or
frictional surface of the piston.
The peculiar system of winding or spooling, herein-before referred to, causes
three rotations to be given to the sliver or roving, which is thereby wound in
eccentric rings or coils round the spindle, and receives also a slight twist in
itself. As the spool increases, the piston descends until it reaches the bottom
of the can, when the spool is completed. The top of the can is then removed,
and the spool with the spindle is taken out. The drawing rollers and other
mechanism connected with this machine are driven by suitable bevil and spur
gearing from a common driving shaft, fitted with fast and loose pulleys and
a fly wheel, and carrying also a spur wheel, which by an intermediate wheel
drives a third wheel on the axis of the first drawing roller, which motion by

page_text: wheels and pinions is communicated to the rest. The spur wheel on the
driving shaft drives also a second shaft, carrying the bevil. wheels which
actuate the cans. The discs on the top of the cans are driven from vertical
shafts actuated by bevil gearing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on.
the 10th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,.
and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of April, in the year of our. Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB-
STANCES," a communication from Jean Beugger, of Wülflingen, Switzerland,.
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson,
by 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 Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-

page_text: This Invention relates to a new and improved construction and arrangement
of mechanism for effecting the slubbing and roving of cotton and other fibrous
substances. By the arrangement of mechanism herein-after described, the
slivers or filaments are wound on to a spindle in rings or coils of uniform
diameter laid one over the other, each ring or coil covering a portion of the
preceding rings or coils. These successive rings are wound eccentrically
around a common centre or spindle. The mode of accomplishing this consists
in the employment of a can, fitted internally with a piston, the upper surface
whereof is covered with cloth or other material suitable for obtaining the
friction necessary at the commencement of the spool. This piston is perforated
in the centre, and is passed over a spindle which serves to withdraw the spool
when completed. The can receives a rotatory motion from a bevil pinion fitted
into its lower extremity. Upon the top of the can is fitted a collar, which is
formed with teeth round its circumference in order to receive a rotatory motion
from a spur wheel. Into this collar is fitted a disc or ring in which an aper-
ture is formed. In this aperture is fitted eccentrically a second disc, having
teeth formed upon its circumference. Above the collar there is fitted (so as
to turn loosely) an internally and externally toothed wheel, which receives its
rotation from a spur wheel gearing with its external teeth, whilst its internal
teeth give motion to the eccentric disc, hercin-before referred to. Thus the
can revolves by means of its bevil gearing, and the eccentric disc revolves on
its own centre and round the centre or axis of the can by the aid of the
collar and spur wheel above mentioned. In order to enable the spool to be
withdrawn from the can when completed without materially disturbing the
mechanism thereof, the ring which carries the eccentric disc is fitted into the
cylinder by frictional contact only, and may therefore be easily removed. For
facilitating the cleaning or repairing of the eccentric disc, it is fitted by
means of suitable springs or spring jaws, with pins on their extremities, taking
into the sides of the disc. The sliver on passing from the drawing rollers
enters a hole in the eccentric disc, having previously passed through a guide
eye in a bridle piece fitted into the top of the can, and its end is laid upon
the cloth or frictional surface of the piston..
The peculiar system of winding or spooling, herein-before referred to, causes
a combined movement to be imparted to the sliver or roving, which is thereby
wound in eccentric rings or coils round the spindle, and receives also a slight
twist in itself. As the spool increases, the piston descends until the bottom of
the can, when the spool is completed. The top of the can is then removed,
and the spool with the spindle is withdrawn. The drawing rollers and other

page_text: mechanism connected with the machine are driven by suitable bevil and
spur gearing from a common driving shaft, fitted with fast and loose pullies
and a fly wheel, and carrying also a spur wheel, which (by means of an inter-
mediate wheel) drives a third wheel on the axis of the front drawing roller,
which motion is communicated to the other rollers by means of wheels and
pinions. The spur wheel on the driving shaft also drives a second shaft,
carrying the bevil wheels which actuate the cans. The discs upon the top
of the cans are driven from vertical shafts actuated by bevil gearing.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall refer
to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings annexed, the same letters
of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of a portion of a can slubbing or roving
frame constructed according to my improvements; Fig. 2 is a transverse
section of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of a portion of the
apparatus; Fig. 4 represents a section on a larger scale, taken vertically
through the centre of the upper part of one of the cans; Fig. 5 is a section
taken horizontally through about the line 1, 2, in Fig. 4.
Upon referring to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the principal part
of my improved arrangement is as follows:-A is a can, in the interior of
which is fitted a piston B, the upper surface of which is covered with cloth
or other suitable material 6, in order to create the friction necessary on com-
mencing a bobbin. The piston B is provided with an aperture through the
centre, which is closed by a small disc of wood or metal a, which as well
as the piston is traversed by the spindle C, the object of which is to with-
draw the bobbin when it is finished. The lower extremity of this spindle is
furnished with a bevil pinion D, from which it receives a rotatory motion; at
the upper part of the can there is a short tube E, (see Figs. 4 and 5.) The
lower part of the tube E rests upon a projection upon the can, and it is
furnished at e with teeth, by means of which it receives motion from the
spur wheel f. To the tube E there is united (by the friction produced by
a ring of leather g) a ring h, having an eccentric opening i, which is closed
by a disc I, (see Figs. 6 and 7, which are section and plan view of the ring h
detached,) or other similar frictional means may be employed. The disc I
is maintained in its place by a projecting flange fitting into the eccentric
opening i, and a similar flange above fitting into an eccentric opening in the
plate k, (see Figs. 8 and 9, which are detached views of the same.).
The periphery of the disc I is furnished with teeth.. Around the upper

page_text: edge of the tube E is fitted, so as to turn loosely, a ring 1, the exterior and
interior circumference of which are both provided with teeth. By means of
its exterior teeth it receives motion from the wheel m (see Fig. 2), and its
interior teeth serve to communicate this motion to the disc I through the
segmental opening n in the ring h, (see Figs. 6 and 7.)
The movements of these parts of the apparatus are as follows:-First, the
can turns upon its own axis by the action of the bevil wheel D; second,
the eccentric disc I turns round its axis through the agency of the ring 1;
third, the disc I has also another circular motion around the top of the can,
being carried by the ring h, which receives its motion from the tube E. In
using this apparatus it is necessary that facility should be afforded for with-
drawing the spindles with the complete bobbins and replacing them by empty
spindles, without displacing the pieces E and 1, and without throwing the wheel
work out of gear. It will be seen, on reference to Fig. 4, that this object is
attained by merely uniting the ring h which carries the eccentric disc I to the
tube E by the friction of the leather ring g. The ring h can thereby be readily
removed, carrying with it the piece which supports the guide q for the
sliver. There is also an arrangement by means of which the pieces and
can be separated when necessary. The piece k is furnished with one or two
springs o, which press the pins p (see Fig. 9) into corresponding holes in the
piece h, thus keeping the two pieces united. When it is necessary to separate
the pieces and k, it can be done by pressing in the pins p, which can readily
be done by means of the pincers, represented at Fig. 10. As the interior
surface of the upper edge of the ring his bevilled, it is not necessary to use
the pincers in uniting them, as the bevilled edge presses the studs in, and the
spring o presses them out when they come out opposite to the holes in the
ring . The sliver on leaving the drawing rollers passes through the guide q
and one of the holes in the disc I, and its end is placed upon the cloth or other
surface of the piston B. The three combined movements above described will
arrange the sliver in eccentric rings or coils (see Fig. 11), the regularity of
which is ensured by the friction resulting from the piston being at the top
of the can close to the disc I. As the bobbin increases, the piston descends
gradually until it reaches the bottom of the can, when the bobbin is complete.
The pieces h, I, and k are then removed together, and as the elasticity of the
bobbin would give it a tendency to spring out to a greater length than the
spindle, it is compressed a little by a small disc of wood pierced with a hole
which fits tight upon the spindle. The spindle C is then raised; the small
collar with which the lower end of the spindle is furnished passes through the

page_text: piston, and raises with it the small disc a and with it the bobbin, which is
thus drawn entirely out of the can. In order to supply a fresh spindle, the
piston is raised to the top of the can by a kind of hook, and a fresh spindle
and disc a is supplied. The pieces h and k are then replaced, and the operation
proceeds as before.
The general arrangement of the machine is as follows:-N is the main-
driving shaft, which is furnished with a fast and loose driving pulley and fly.
wheel, and a spur wheel O, which, by means of the intermediate or carrier
wheel O', drives the wheel 02 upon the end of the front drawing roller. The
second drawing rollers are actuated by means of the spur wheels P, P1, P2,
and P, and the back drawing rollers are driven by means of the wheels
Q, Q, and a pinion Q on the shaft of the second drawing roller. The
wheel O upon the main driving shaft also drives the pinion O' by means
of the carrier wheel O³. On the shaft R of the pinion O' are keyed the
bevil wheels R¹, in gear with the bevil pinions D of the cans. The wheel
Os also drives a pinion on a second shaft S, which carries the bevil
wheels S¹, in gear with the bevil pinions S2 on the vertical shaft S³, which
carry the wheels m. The shaft S is also furnished at its extremity with a
pinion T, in gear with a second pinion T' on a lower shaft T. This shaft
carries the wheels T, which, by means of the wheels T', drive the bevil
wheels T, which are loose on the shaft S, turning in the same direction but at
a different velocity. These wheels T gear with the bevil pinions U upon the
vertical shafts U¹ which carry the wheels f. It will be seen, upon referring to
Fig. 1, that the wheels R, S', and Ts are placed at considerable distances from
each other, the intermediate cans driving each other by means of the wheels V,
with which each can is furnished, and all of which gear together. By this
arrangement it will be seen that some of the cans turn to the right hand and
some to the left, thus producing a difference in the direction in which the
bobbins are wound, which, however, is of no consequence. This arrangement
also permits all the wheels e and to drive each other, and to drive the wheel e
of one can by the wheel F turning in one direction whilst the next wheel m
turns in the other direction, but drives the ring 7 of the adjacent can in such a
manner that the ring of the first can turns in the same direction as the
wheel e and the can itself. This combination is merely for the purpose of
allowing the shafts S and U₁ being placed side by side.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark, in con-
clusion, that I claim as my Invention,―

page_text: Firstly, the application to such machinery of cans with moveable pistons
or discs turned by the rotation of the cans, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the peculiar arrangement of mechanism for producing the requi-
site combined movement of the sliver, as herein-before described.
And, thirdly, the general construction and arrangement of mechanism
herein-before describéd, by which a finer sliver at a higher velocity is produced
than by ordinary machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)