ws.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 20th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th July, 1888
Contained therein irom це
Grows.
We JAMES EDWARD PLATT of Hartford Works Oldham in the County of Lancaster
Engineer and JAMES FIDLER of the same place Machinist do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
In some countries notably in Her Majesty's Indian Empire and in Asia Minor the
cotton does not fall or separate from the shell, pod or husk when matured as it does in
the United States of America, but the shell, pod or husk containing the cotton
and seeds falls to the ground if not previously gathered and the cotton along with the
seeds adhering to it requires to be picked out by hand, so that the cost of the
cultivation of the cotton is greatly increased-Our invention has for its object the
separation by mechanical means of certain kinds of cotton such as for instance that
growing in Her Majesty's Indian Empire and in Asia Minor from the shell pod or
husk in which it grows.
In accomplishing the object of our invention we employ a feed box or hopper
in which are placed the pods of cotton to be operated upon. The said feed box
or hopper has at the bottom a slit or opening which is situate above a roller provided
with grooves which extend lengthwise of the said roller.
"
Each of the said grooves is so formed as to be capable of containing a row or line of
cotton pods-As the roller above mentioned revolves each groove will deposit a row
of pods over or above a pair of crushing rollers which crushing rollers consist of a
number of rings fixed at an angle to the periphery of the said crushing rollers-The
rollers previously mentioned are so adjusted and geared that as the said rollers revolve
the rings above referred to cross "each other and crush the pods that are between
them Beneath the crushing rollers above mentioned we place a plate or rail
which plate or rail is provided with a number of ribs or ridges projecting towards and
curved to correspond with a portion of the periphery of the crushing rollers-The
ribs or ridges above mentioned may be formed straight or "zig-zag" or of any other
suitable form-The cotton with the seeds and husks having to travel the whole length

page_text: of the ribs or ridges before being liberated is further decorticated by the rings of the
crushing rollers and afterwards falls on a creeper or endless travelling cloth by which
it is conveyed to one or more rotating rollers or cylinders provided with teeth-The
lower portion of such roller or cylinder or of each of such rollers or cylinders is
surrounded by a number of bars which bars constitute curved grids which allow the
husks to pass through and fall upon the floor whilst the cotton and seeds are carried
onward and thrown out at the back of the machine.
Over the rollers or cylinders above mentioned we place a chamber provided with or
connected to a fan by means of which dust is removed.
Dated this Nineteenth day of September 1887.
1
W. T. CHEETHAM,
Carlton Chambers,
18, St. Ann's Street, Manchester,
Agent to the Applicants.

page_text: We JAMES EDWARD PLATT of Hartford Works Oldham in the county of Lancaster
Engineer and JAMES FIDLER of the same place Machinist, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In some countries notably in Her Majesty's Indian Empire and in Asia Minor the
cotton does not fall or separate from the shell, pod or husk when matured as it does
in the United States of America, but the shell, pod or husk containing the cotton and
seeds falls to the ground if not previously gathered and the cotton along with the seeds
adhering to it requires to be picked out by hand so that the cost of the cultivation of
the cotton is greatly increased. Our invention has for its object the separation
by mechanical means of certain kinds of cotton such as for instance that growing in
Her Majesty's Indian Empire and in Asia Minor from the shell, pod or husk in which
it grows.
"
In accomplishing the object of our invention we employ a feed box or hopper
in which are placed the pods of cotton to be operated upon. The said feed box
or hopper has at the bottom a slit or opening which situate above a roller provided
with grooves which extend lengthwise of the said roller. Each of the said grooves is
so formed as to be capable of containing a row or line of cotton pods. As the roller
above mentioned revolves each groove will deposit a row of pods over or above a pair
of crushing rollers which crushing rollers consist of a number of rings fixed at
an angle to the periphery of the said crushing rollers. The rollers previously
mentioned are so adjusted and geared that as the said rollers revolve the rings above
referred to " cross each other and crush the pods that are between them. Beneath
the crushing rollers above mentioned we place a plate or rail which plate or rail
is provided with a number of ribs or ridges projecting towards and curved to
The ribs or
correspond with a portion of the periphery of the crushing rollers.
ridges above mentioned may be formed straight or "zig-zag" or of any other suitable
form. The cotton with the seeds and husks having to travel the whole length of the
ribs or ridges before being liberated is further decorticated by the rings of the
crushing rollers and afterwards falls on a creeper or endless travelling cloth by which
it is conveyed to one or more rotating rollers or cylinders provided with teeth. The
lower portion of such roller or cylinder or of each of such rollers or cylinders is
surrounded by a number of bars which bars constitute curved grids which allow the
husks to pass through and fall upon the floor whilst the cotton and seeds are carried
onward and thrown out at the back of the machine. Over the rollers or cylinders

page_text: above mentioned we place a chamber provided with or connected to a fan by means of
which dust is removed.
Fig. 1 of the drawing hereunto annexed is a vertical section of a machine for
separating cotton of certain kinds and the seeds contained therein from the shells,
pods or husks in which it grows.
C
a. is a feed box or hopper having at the bottom a slit or opening situate above a
roller c the axle of which is capable of being rotated in bearings secured to the side
framings of the machine of which side framings done only is shown in Fig. 1. The
roller c is provided with ribs c¹ between which are grooves A which extend longthwise
of the roller c.
Each of the grooves A is so formed as to be capable of containing a row or line of
cotton pods. e, e are crushing rollers the axles of which are capable of being rotated
in bearing secured to the side framings d of the machine. Each of the rollers e, e¹
consists of a number of rings B fixed at an angle to the periphery of the said
rollers e, e as shown in Fig. 2 which is a plan in which are shown the rollers e¹.
Beneath the crushing rollers e, el we place a plate or railf provided with a number of
ribs or ridges f¹ shown in plan in Fig. 2. projecting towards and curved to correspond
with a portion of the periphery of the rollers e, e¹ the ribs or ridges f¹ may be formed
straight as shown in Fig. 2 or "zig-zag" or in any other suitable manner. g is a
croeper or endless travelling cloth which passes in the direction indicated by the
arrow around rollers h, h the axles of which are capable of being rotated in bearings
secured to the side-framings d. The side-framings d of the machine are provided with
pedestals which support axles capable of being rotated therein upon which axles are
mounted rollers or cylinders j, j each provided with teeth or spikes k. The lower
portions of the rollers or cylinders j, j' are respectively surrounded by curved grids 1, 1.
At the termination of the grid we place a creeper or travelling surface m which passes
around rollers n the axle of one of which rollers nis capable of being rotated in bearings
secured to the side-framings d of the machine. The "pods" of cotton to be operated
upon are placed in the hopper a from which they pass through the slit or opening b
into the grooves A in the roller c.
el
The rotation of the roller c will from time to time deliver a row or line of pods to
the crushing rollers e, e¹. The pods are first broken by the crushing rollers e, el
the roller e being rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow D and the roller e¹
being rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow E. The pods after passing
between the crushing rollers e, e¹ are carried by such rollers along the surface of the
plate and are further crushed by being subjected to the action of the rollers e,
and the ribs or ridges on the plate. One portion of the pods after being crushed
escapes from between the roller e and the plate fat F and falls on to the creeper or
travelling cloth g. The remaining portion of the pods after being crushed by the
rollers e, e and plate fescapes from between the roller e¹ and plate fat G. The
crushed material is afterwards carried forward by the teeth of the rollers or
cylinders j, j over the curved grids grids 1, l¹. The husks or shells pass through
the curved grids 1, 11 and become deposited beneath the machine. Above the
rollers c, e, e¹ and rollers or cylinders j,. we form a chamber H which is enclosed
by means of the cover o and we provide a fan p which by means of trunks
and openings formed through the cover o removes dust from the chamber H and
passes such dust through the pipe into the atmosphere.
The cotton in a great measure separated from the shell, pod or husk in which it
grows passes out of the machine between the upper surface of the creeper or travelling.
surface m and the plate s, the rollers n, n being rotated in the direction indicated by
the arrows J. The plate's is provided for the purpose of preventing the said cotton
from being carried by the roller into the chamber H and a plate or frame t is placed
at each side of the creeper or travelling surface m in order to guide the cotton while
such cotton is being carried out of the machine by the creeper or travelling
surface m.
:
The plates or frames t also serve to support one of the rollers n around which the
creeper or travelling surface m passes.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The hereinbefore described machine for separating from the shells, pods or husks
in which it grows, cotton which does not separate when mature from the shells, pods
or husks in which it grows and constructed, arranged, employed and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described in reference to and indicated in and by the
drawing hereunto annexed.
2. In the machine hereinbefore described the hopper a and roller c constructed,
arranged employed and operating for the purposes and substantially in the manner
hereinbefore described in reference to and indicated in and by the drawing hereunto
annexed.
3. In the machine hereinbefore described the crushing rollers e, e¹ and plate f
constructed arranged, employed and operating in conjunction with each other for the
purposes and substantially in the manner hereinbefore described in reference to and
indicated in and by the drawing hereunto annexed.
4. In conjunction with the hopper a, roller c, crushing rollers e, e¹ and plate f
hereinbefore described a cylinder or roller such a jor cylinders or rollers such as j, j¹
having placed beneath it or them a curved grid such as 2 or curved grids such as 1,
and constructed, arranged, employed and operating for the purpose of separating the
shells, pods or husks after they have been crushed from the cotton and sub-
stantially in the manner herein before described in reference to and indicated in and
by the drawing hereunto annexed.
Dated this Nineteenth day of June 1888