Improvements in Scutchers and Lap Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Scutchers and Lap Machines.
We, GREENWOOD WHITEHEAD, of 27, Ash Grove, Didsbury Road, Heaton
Norris, Manager, and WILLIAM GREENWOOD, of 174, Manchester Road, Stockport,
Over-looker, both in the County of Chester, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in scutchers and lap machines and has
for its object to provide means whereby the trap door which receives the dirt
falling through the grid employed between the beater and cage, is dropped and
raised automatically and thus the removal of the dirt ensured at regular intervals
instead of being left to the attendant as hitherto has been the case.
To this end our invention consists in so arranging and connecting by suitable
means the levers which ordinarily support the said trap with the drop lever
or any other part of the machine having an intermittent motion, that at each
finish of a lap the said trap door is automatically released and permitted
to fall and discharge the dirt accumulated thereon and on the commencement
of a fresh lap raised to its former position.
According to one form of our invention we employ between the said drop levers
at one side of the machine, an oscillating lever the lower arm of which is con-
nected by a rod to a lever carried by or an arm formed on the said drop lever
whilst its upper arm carries a push pawl engaging in a ratchet wheel mounted
on the fulcrum of the said oscillating lever and prevented from turning back
by a back pawl.
Between the said oscillating lever and the said trap door levers, a tumbler lever
is employed, the lower end of which is adapted to engage a pin or tooth on a
segmental pulley moving with the said trap door levers and hold same in position
whilst the trap door is up. The side of the said ratchet wheel is furnished with
a stud and upon the axis of the latter is loosely mounted a lever.
When the said drop lever falls at the end of a lap the aforesaid rod withdraws
the lower arm of the aforesaid lever which causes the pawl of the upper arm to
impart a turn to the said ratchet wheel.
As the said wheel rotates the stud on its side lifts the said loose lever and as
the ratchet wheel completes one revolution, the said loose lever is forced against
the upper end of the said tumbler lever thus raising its lower end, thereby
releasing the trap door levers and permitting the trap door to fall by its own
weight and discharge the dirt there.
To the said segmental pulley one end of a chain or strap is secured which runs
over a pulley and has its other end secured to a stud on the lower arm of the
aforesaid oscillating lever so that when the drop lever is raised to its normal
position the said chain or strap raises the said trap door levers and thus the trap
door to its normal position- again.
The said trap door levers are so balanced as to drop independently of the weight
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page_text: of the trap door, the moment they are released by the said tumbler lever and to
be easily raised again by the said chain or strap.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
Agents to Applicants.
improv TIT
aud Lapa
We, GREENWOOD WHITEHEAD, of 27, Ash Grove, Didsbury Road, Heaton
Norris, Manager, and WILLIAM GREENWOOD, of 174, Manchester Road, Stockport,
Over-looker, both in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in scutchers and lap machines and has
for its object to provide means whereby the trap door which receives the dirt
falling through the grid employed between the beater and cage, is dropped and
raised automatically and thus the removal of the dirt insured at regular pre-
determinable intervals instead of being left to the attendant as hitherto has been
the case. .
To this end our invention consists in so arranging and connecting by suitable
means, the levers which ordinarily support the said trap door, with the drop lever
or any other part of the machine having an intermittent motion, that at the
finish of one or more laps the said trap door is automatically released and permitted
to fall and discharge the dirt accumulated thereon and on the commencement
of a fresh lap raised to its former position.
And in order that our invention may be more fully understood we have caused
to be appended hereunto one sheet of drawings marked with letters of referenco
indicating like parts in the various figures, Fig. 1 being a side view, Fig. 2 a
plan of our improvements as applied to a scutcher or lap machine and Fig. 3 a
side view of a modification thereof.
In carrying out our invention and referring to Figs. 1 & 2, according to one
form of our invention, we employ between the drop lever
a and the trap door
levers an oscillating lever b the lower arm of which is connected by a rod or
link to a lever carried by, or an arm d formed on the drop lever a whilst its upper
arm carries a push pawl 6' engaging in a ratchet wheel e mounted on the fulcrum f
of the oscillating lever b and prevented from turning back by a back pawl el.
Between the oscillating lever b and the trap door levers a tumbler lever is
employed, the lower end of which is adapted to engage a pin or tooth on a
segmental pulley i which moves' with the trap door levers and holds same in
position whilst the trap door is up against the grid m. The inner-side of the
ratchet wheel e is furnished with a stud e² and upon the axis of the ratchet wheel
or fulcrum of the oscillating lever b is loosely mounted a lever n.
When the drop lever a falls at the end of a lap the rod or link e withdraws
the lower arm of the oscillating lever b which causes the pawl 6 on the upper arm
to impart a partial turn to the ratchet wheel e.
As the ratchet wheel rotates, the stud e² on its side lifts the loose lever n and
when completing one revolution which is timed to co-incide with the number
of laps at the end of which it is desired to drop the trap door the said lever n is
force against the upper end of the tumbler lever g thereby raising its lower end,
releasing the pin or tooth h on the pulley i secured to the trap door lever shaft ki

page_text: and thus permitting the trap door to fall by its own weight and discharge the
dirt thereon.
To the segmental pulley i is secured one end of a chain or strap which runs
over a pulley and has its other end secured to a stud on the lower arm of the
aforesaid oscillating lever b so that when the drop lever a is raised to its normal
position the chain or strap i¹ raises the trap door levers and thus the trap door
to its normal position again.
The said trap door levers are so balanced as to drop independently of the
weight of the trap door, the moment they are released by the said tumbler lever
and to be easily raised again by the said chain or strap.
To vary the time at which it is desired to drop the trap door and to discharge
the dirt accumulated thereon one or both of the fulcrums c¹ of the rod or link o
are respectively rendered adjustable in the arm and lever & & & so as to vary the
feed of the pawl and thus the amount of rotation thereby imparted to the
ratchet wheel e.
According to a modification or other form of our invention we may dispense
with the pulleys, i and chain or strap and effect the raising of the trap door,
as shown in Fig. 3, viz. by securing a lever h¹ upon the end of the trap door
lever shaft which is furnished with a stud h² engaging in the slotted end of a
rod o the other end of which is jointed to an extension d of the lever d.
If it should be desired to drop the trap door at the end of every lap such may
be done by rendering the ratchet wheel e and tumbler lever g inoperative.
may be inter-
According to another form of our invention the ratchet wheel
mittently rotated by a pawl actuated by an eccentric rotated by suitable gearing
from one of the cage shafts which latter have an intermittent motion in lieu of
from the drop lever a as will be readily understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the mature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1st. In scutchers and lap machines, means for automatically releasing the trap
door at the finish of one or more laps operated from the drop lever or any other
part of the machine having an intermittent motion and which means also raise
the trap door to its normal position when the machine is restarted, all substan-
tially as and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. In scutchers and lap machines, means for automatically releasing the trap
door, consisting chiefly of a ratchet wheel having motion imparted by a pawl
actuated from the drop lever or any other part of the machine having an inter-
mittent motion and of a loose lever operated by a said ratchet wheel and adapted
to release through suitable connections the said trap door, all substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
Lamount 1908
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicants.