IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL, SILK, COTTON, FLAX, CHINA GRASS, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1867

page_text: Sealed the 30th July 1867, and dated the 2nd February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith and George
Wilson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 2nd February 1867.
We, JOHN SMITH, of Bradford, in the County of York, Engineer, and GEORGE
WILSON, of Huddersfield, in the same County, Silk Spinner, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL, SILK, COTTON, FLAX, CHINA GRASS,
OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention consists of a series of toothed or card.
covered rollers arranged side by side and caused to rotate simultaneously in
the same direction, but varying in surface speed, that is, the second roller
rotating quicker than the first and the third quicker than the second, and so
[Price 8d.1

page_text: on. China grass or other fibrous substances being cut or otherwise prepared
in suitable lengths and fed or supplied to these rollers will be carried forward
thereby and drawn cut into slivers.
The second part consists of a pair of nipping jaws, the framework of which
besides being arranged for opening and closing the jaws alternately as required
is capable of oscillation on a fulcrum or shaft placed at one end of the frame,
the jaws being placed at the other, thus producing a traverse or reciprocatory
motion of the jaws in an arc of a circle; this frame also supports a table or
plate of metal or other suitable material, and a series of toothed or card
covered rollers capable of rotary motion intermittently each in the same
direction, by which fibre after being prepared or formed into slivers and laid
on this table or plate will be carried forward and pushed between the nipping
jaws, which when a suitable length is passed through closes upon it and the
rollers cease to rotate; the frame is then caused to oscillate, and the jaws
traverse or carry the protruding fibre over or in contact with two or more.
toothed or card covered rollers or aprons, which being caused to rotate comb
or card, dress or hackle, and cleanse the protruding end of the fibre on both
sides simultaneously or alternately as required. When the jaws have
returned to their first position they open, and another pair of jaws similarly
arranged seize the protruding cleansed end of the fibre and oscillating draw
out a tuft from the slivers held by the toothed rollers on the table or plate,
traversing the said tufts over in contact with one, two, or more toothed or
card covered rotary rollers or travelling toothed or card covered endless aprons
which comb, card, dress, or hackle the said tufts of fibre on each side of the
other end and thereby cleanse it; these second jaws then open and deposit
the cleansed tufts of fibre upon a travelling apron or other suitable receptacle,
and return to their first position to seize another tuft which has meantime
been cleansed on its protruding end by the action of the first-named jaws and
toothed or card covered rollers or aprons,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Smith and George Wilson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,
we, JOHN
SMITH, of Bradford, in the County of York, Engineer, and GEORGE WILSON,
of Huddersfield, in the same County, Silk Spinner, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Second day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Smith and George Wilson, Her special licence that we, the said
John Smith and George Wilson, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Smith and George Wilson, 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 OR APPARATUS FOR
PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL, SILK, COTTON, FLAX, CHINA GRASS, OR OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Smith and George Wilson, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 John Smith and George, Wilson, 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 and accompanying Sheets of Drawings (that is to say):
The first part of this Invention consists of a series of toothed or card
covered rollers arranged side by side and caused to rotate simultaneously
in the same direction, but varying in surface speed, that is, the second
roller rotating quicker than the first and the third quicker than the second,
and so on. China grass or other fibrous substances being cut or otherwise
prepared in suitable lengths and fed or supplied to these rollers will be carried
forward thereby and drawn out into slivers.
The second part consists of a pair of nipping jaws, the framework of which
besides being arranged for opening and closing the jaws alternately as
required is capable of oscillation on a fulcrum or shaft placed at one end of
the frame, the jaws being placed at the other, thus producing a traverse or
reciprocatory motion of the jaws in an arc of a circle; this frame also supports
a table or plate of metal or other suitable material, and a series of toothed
or card covered rollers capable of rotary motion intermittently each in the

page_text: same direction, by which fibre after being prepared or formed into slivers
and laid on this table or plate will be carried forward and pushed between the
nipping jaws, which when a suitable length is passed through close upon it,
and the rollers cease to rotate; the frame is then caused to oscillate and the
jaws traverse or carry the protruding fibre over or in contact with two or
more toothed or card covered rollers or aprons, which being caused to rotate
comb or card, dress or hackle, and cleanse the protruding end of the fibre on
both sides, simultaneously or alternately as required. When the jaws have
returned to their first position they open, and another pair of jaws similarly
arranged seize the protruding cleansed end of the fibre and oscillating draw
out a tuft from the slivers held by the toothed rollers on the table or plate,
traversing the said tufts over or in contact with one, two, or more toothed or
card covered rotary rollers or travelling toothed or card covered endless aprons,
which comb, card, dress, or hackle the said tufts of fibre on each side of the
other end, and thereby cleanse it; these second jaws then open and deposit the
cleansed tufts of fibre upon a travelling apron or other suitable receptacle,
and return to their first position to seize another tuft, which has meantime
been cleansed on its protruding end by the action of the first-named jaws
and toothed or card covered rollers or aprons.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 (Sheet 1) is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan of a machine
or apparatus constructed according to the first part of this Invention for
preparing or straightening the fibres of wool, silk, cotton, China grass, or
other fibrous substances.
A is a slow travelling apron on which the fibre is placed to be fed into the
machine; B are a series of toothed or spiked rollers which are driven by an
endless chain C passing over or around chain wheels or cog wheels D fixed
on the shafts of the said rollers; these wheels vary in size or diameter, so
that an increase in surface speed is given to each roller in succession from the
feed apron to the delivery end of the machine, whereby wool or other fibres
fed thereto are gradually drawn out or straightened and formed into a sliver,
which is taken off by ordinary fluted or drawing off rollers E, and pass
thence between the plain rollers F to a sliver can or other suitable receptacle;
G are plain pressing rollers for pressing the fibres into the teeth of rollers B.
The teeth of the rollers are made or formed according to the kind or quality
of fibre to be operated upon, and for some purposes instead of teeth or spikes
card covering is used.

page_text: Fig. 3 (Sheet 2) is a side elevation, and. Fig. 4 is a plan of a machine or
apparatus for combing wool, silk, cotton, flax, China grass, or other fibrous
substances constructed according to the second part of this Invention.
A and A¹ are a pair of nipping jaws, one being fixed and the other hinged
to a frame B, which is hinged on a shaft C, on which it oscillates; this
frame carries a table or plate D, on, which the slivers of fibre to be combed
are laid to be fed into the machine; also a series of toothed or spiked rollers E
for pushing the said fibre forward on the feed table to and between a pair of
fluted rollers F, which conduct and project the same forward to and between the
nipping jaws which are held open at suitable times by the action of springs G,
and closed by the action of cams H acting on the slide rods I at proper times;
these parts are shewn in detail at Fig. 5. Oscillatory motion is given to this
frame by connecting rod J, which is attached thereto and to a crank or stud
fixed in a wheel K, which wheel receives rotary motion from a wheel L
fixed on the shaft C, and is in gear with a pinion M fixed on the main
driving shaft. When wool or other fibre is fed into and projected from and
held by these nippers they are caused to oscillate or move in the arc of the
circle shewn by a dotted line traversing the fibre in contact with the rotating
toothed or card covered endless apron N and roller O, by which the projecting
end of the sliver is cleansed on both sides in its to-and-fro passage; the
nippers are then opened and the cleansed end of the sliver is seized by
another pair of nippers P (of similar construction and action to the former
described nippers) which draw a portion of the sliver out from or through the
teeth of the toothed or spiked feeding rollers, detaching a tuft of fibre which
they traverse in contact with the endless card cloth N, and another endless
card cloth Q, which clean it on the other end; these nippers also carry it into
contact with, and opening deliver it to another endless apron which conducts
it to ordinary drawing off rollers R and S, thence passing into a sliver can or
other suitable receptacle cleansed at both ends.
Fig. 6 is another method of pushing the fibre on the table to the feed
rollers and nippers, where instead of toothed or spiked rollers a series of
rows of teeth T are fixed in a plate or frame, which teeth pass through
gratings formed in the table and enter into other gratings formed in a plate U
fixed at a suitable distance above the table, when the said table and nippers
are in their lowest position; but when the table is raised the teeth are out of
the gratings and the sliver is at liberty to be drawn forward a suitable distance
for another tuft, and when the table and nippers lower or return, the teeth
re-enter the gratings, passing through the sliver which they hold, whilst the

page_text: tuft is drawn out therefrom. V and W are cylindrical rotary brushes for
cleansing the card covered rollers or aprons which receive motion by belt X
and pullies Y fixed on shafts thereof from the main driving shaft of the
machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Wilson, for and on behalf of
myself and the said John Smith, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this First day of August, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
seven.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named George Wilson, in
the presence of
ARTHUR B. CROSSLEY,
Clerk to Wm. Tasker,
Patent Agent,
Halifax and Bradford.
G. WILSON. (L.S.)