Improvement in Lap Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Lap Machines.
I, ALBERT FRANKLIN SHEPARDSON, of Moosup, in the County of Windham,
State of Connecticut, United States of America, Carder, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENT IN LAP MACHINES," and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings forming part of this Specification:-
:-
This invention has reference to a knock-off attachment for lap-machines by
means of which the machine is automatically stopped when lumps, or foreign
matter, are contained in the lap.
The object of the invention is to prevent excessive lumps, or foreign substances,
passing into the lap and also to prevent injury to the driving-gears of the
lap-machine.
The invention consists in providing the weighted arm, or arms, connected with
the compressor-rolls, with an arm adapted to knock off the latch supporting the
hinged-arm in which the driving-shaft is journaled, as will be more fully set forth
hereinafter.
Figure 1 is a side view of the lap-rolling end of a lap-machine, parts of the
machine being indicated in broken lines.
Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the latch and part of the pivoted arm.
In the drawings the number 3 indicates the side-frame of the machine, 4 the
calender-rolls by which the lap is compressed, 5 the lever, pivoted in the frame,
bearing on the uppermost calender-roll and connected by the rod 6 with the hinged-
lever 7 on which the weight 8 is placed by which the calender-rolls are pressed
against the lap as it passes between the calender-rolls. 9, 9, are the rolls supporting
the lap-roll 10. 11 is a bracket in which the arm 12 is hinged, the forward end of
the arm 12 is usually provided with the handle 13. The arm 12 is supported near
the handle in the bracket 14 by means of the bolt 15 provided with the pin 16
which extends through a slot in the arm 12, the bolt 15 is held in place by the
push-pin 17 which is surrounded by the coiled-spring 18, the stop-arm 19 bears
against the pin 16 and forms part of the ordinary mechanism for automatically
stopping the machine when the required quantity of lap has been formed into a
lap-roll.
The driving-shaft 20 is journaled in the arm 12, the driving-shaft 20 is provided
with the belt-pulley 21 and the gear 22 which gear meshes with the gear 23
secured to the shaft of the lower calender-roll.
In a lap-machine, thus or similarly organized, when excessive lumps of cotton
are formed in the lap, and when stones, pieces of iron, wood, or other substances,
are carried with the fiber, the lap in passing through between the two upper
calender-rolls separates these rolls more than when the usual lap is passing
between the same and the excessive lumps, or the harder foreign substances, which
cannot pass between the rolls tear and separate the lap, at times such excessive
lumps, or the foreign substances, stop the calender-rolls from turning and then the
driving-gear 22 liable to tear off the teeth on the gear 23; it is, therefore,
necessary, when the above-described excessive lumps, or foreign matter, are
presented to the calender-rolls, to stop the machine and remove the obstructing
matter. To do this quickly and automatically, I secure to the weight 8, or to the
hinged-lever 7, an arm, or knock-off, so formed and adjusted that, when the hinged-
lever 7 is raised to an abnormal height, the said arm or knock-off will come in
contact with either the arm 19 or the pin 16, and, by moving the bolt 15, will

page_text: detach the arm 12 and allow the same to descend and thus disengage the gear 22
from the gear 23, thereby arresting the rotation of the calender-rolls.
In Figure 1 have shown the arm 25 secured to the weight 8 by the bolt 26,
for the purpose of adjustment, the portion of the arm bearing on the weight 8 is
slotted, and the bolt extending through the slot and the nut bearing on the upper
surface of the arm form the well-known method of securing parts adjustably to
each other. The opposite end 27 of the arm 25 is bent at, or nearly at, right
angles, so that, when the weight 8 and the free end of the hinged-lever 7 are raised,
the part 27 of the arm 25 will move the lower end of the arm 19 and with it
the pin 16 and bolt 15 so as to disengage the same and permit the arm 12 to
descend.
It will be obvious to any one skilled in the art that the arın 25 may be secured
to the lever 7 and that any one of the well-known means of adjustment may be
used. To indicate one of the methods that can be used, I have indicated in broken
lines the arm 25' provided at its lower end with a sleeve and a set screw.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Claim 1. In a lap-machine, the combination with the calender-rolls and the latch-
bolt, the arm 12 supported by the latch-bolt, the bracket 11 on which said arm is
pivoted, the driving-shaft 20 journaled in said arm, the gear 22 carried by said
shaft and the gear 23 in engagement with said gear 22, of the arm 25, and
mechanism intermediate the said arm 25 and the calender-rolls, as described.
2. In a lap-machine, the combination with a latch, an arm 12 supported by said
latch, a driving-shaft 20 having a geared end journaled in said arm, and the
weighted lever 7, of an arm, operated by the lever 7, arranged to operate the
latch to stop the machine when the calender-rolls are separated beyond a
predetermined distance, as described.
3. The combination with the gear 22, the shaft 20 carrying said gear, the
hinged-arm 12 in which said shaft is journaled, and the latch by which the arm 12
is supported, of a knock-off' arm, a lever 7 carrying the said arm, the calender-
rolls, and mechanism intermediate the lever 7 and calender-rolls, as and for the
purpose described.
Dated this 6th day of June A.D. 1891.
ALBERT FRANKLIN SHEPARDSON.
In presence of :-
JOSEPH A. MILLER, Jr.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.