Improvements in Preparation Machinery for Textile Materials and in Feed Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: The decision of the Comptroller-General, of the 14th day of July 1894, allowed,
under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883, an Amendment of this
Specification.
Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1893-Accepted. 6th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Preparation Machinery for Textile Materials and
in Feed Apparatus therefor.
We SPENCER CRIGHTON and GEORGE ALFRED CRIGHTON of the Firm of
Messrs. Crighton & Sons of Castlefield Iron Works, Knott Mill, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates principally to feed apparatus adapted to be used in the
obtainment of a suitably regular feed of raw or dyed cotton for the supply of
opening and cleaning machinery, and to the combination of such machinery with the
feed apparatus.
In such feed apparatus of ordinary construction a box or receptacle is provided
with a horizontal lattice or endless apron and a nearly vertical spiked apron the
latter carrying forward the cotton, the excess of cotton being returned to the box
by means of a revolving beater. We propose in some cases to dispense with the
horizontal lattice and to curve or incline the front side of the box so as to cause
the cotton to determine toward the apron or part which carries the cotton forward.
We may apply a toothed or suitably adapted roller at or near the bottom of the
box to pass the cotton to the said apron or part. In cases wherein the spiked
apron would be for the most part outside of the box we may apply the revolving
beater at a point below the top of the box but behind the back wall of the same.
We propose in some cases to substitute a revolving drum. for the spiked apron.
This drum may be provided with spikes or teeth and be mounted so as wholly or
partially to constitute the back of the box. We should use this drum either with
or without the horizontal lattice. Suitable means would be employed to return the
excess of cotton as for example we may use a revolving beater or a travelling
apron interposed between the drum and a suitable beater or we may apply two or
more rollers or flats or equivalent appliances arranged partially around the axis of
the drum. We prefer to perforate the shell of the drum and to provide a fan or
exhaust apparatus to withdraw air from the interior of the drum. The drum
might be provided with a damper or by preference might be divided into sections
by means of partitions, openings in vertical walls close to the open ends of the
drum communicating with the sections of the drum only when they would be in
position to withdraw cotton from the box. The draught of air would aid in the
obtainment of a regular coating of cotton upon the drum and would also tend to
clean the cotton by withdrawing dust therefrom. We are also of opinion that we
shall be enabled to use shorter spikes and thereby to avoid the attachment of large
masses of cotton to the drum. The spikes may be secured in strips or bars which
would be applied inside the drum with the spikes projecting through perforations
in the same.
We may employ set screws or other means to regulate the extent of
projection of the spikes beyond the periphery of the drum.
We may use more than one drum or a series of toothed rollers arranged so that

page_text: one drum or roller would take the cotton from another and pass the cotton forward..
In some cases we should combine the feed apparatus directly with a porcupine
opener or with an opener or scutcher so that the cotton would pass directly from
the beater or clearer of the feed machine to the feed rollers or feeding parts of
such combined machine. We may provide the feed machine with detector apparatus
applied in such a manner as that on the feed box becoming empty or nearly empty
the action of the machine would be arrested.
For this purpose we should counterbalance one or both ends of the horizontal
lattice or of the front wall of the box or of a board or part applied within or to the box
or should otherwise mount a part which would sustain the weight of cotton so long
as there would be a sufficient supply within the box and on being relieved of such
weight would rise and thereby liberate or set in motion or cause action of parts
which would effect the stoppage of acting parts of the machine. When combining
the feed apparatus with other machinery as aforesaid we should connect the detector
motion on the feed apparatus with parts of the connected machine, so that the feed
of the same would be arrested. We propose also to regulate the speed of the
carrying forward parts of the feed apparatus to suit the requirements of the con-
nected machine. This may be effected by employing the regulator on the connected
machine to control the speed of the apron or of the drum or drums or rollers which
pass forward the cotton instead of to control the speed of the lattice ordinarily used
in the feeding of such machines.
Although we have referred only to cotton it must be understood that we do not
intend to restrict the application of our invention to machinery used in the treatment
of that material.
Dated this 3rd day of. March 1893.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Preparation Machinery for Textile Materials and
in Feed Apparatus therefor.
We SPENCER CRIGHTON and GEORGE ALFRED CRIGHTON of the Firm of
Messrs. Crighton & Sons of Castlefield Iron Works, Knott Mill, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, 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 and accompanying
drawings:-
Our invention relates principally to feed apparatus adapted to be used in the
obtainment of a suitably regular feed of raw or dyed cotton for the supply of
opening and cleaning machinery, and to the combination of such machinery with
the feed apparatus.
In such feed apparatus of ordinary construction a box or receptacle is provided
with a horizontal lattice or endless apron and a nearly vertical spiked apron the
latter carrying forward the cotton, the excess of cotton being returned to the box
by means of a revolving beater.
In some cases we substitute a revolving drum for the spiked apron. This drum
may be provided with spikes or teeth and be mounted so as wholly or partially to
constitute the back of the box. We should use this drum either with or without
the horizontal lattice. Suitable means would be employed to return the excess of
cotton. We prefer to perforate the shell of the drum and to provide a fan or
exhaust apparatus to withdraw air from the interior of the drum. We may use
more than one drum or a series of toothed rollers arranged so that one drum or
roller would take the cotton from another and pass the cotton forward.
We propose in some cases to dispense with the horizontal-lattice and to ourve-or

page_text: incline the front side of the box-so as to cause the cotton to determine toward the
apron or part which carries the cotton forward. We may apply a toothed or
suitably adapted roller at or near the bottom of the box or receptacle to pass the
cotton to the said aforesaid endless apron or part.
In some cases we should combine the feed apparatus directly with a porcupine
opener or with an opener or scutcher so that the cotton would pass directly from
the beater or clearer of the feed machine to the feed rollers or feeding parts of such
combined machine. We prefer to provide the feed machine with detector apparatus
applied in such a manner as that on the feed box becoming empty or nearly empty
the action of the machine would be arrested. For this purpose we should counter-
balance one or both ends of the horizontal lattice or of the front wall of the box or
of a board or part applied within or to the box or should otherwise mount a part
which would sustain the weight of cotton so long as there would be a sufficient
supply within the box and on being relieved of such weight would rise and thereby
liberate or set in motion or cause action of parts which would effect the stoppage of
acting parts of the machine.
We propose also to regulate the speed of the carrying forward parts of the feed
apparatus to suit the requirements of the connected machine. This may be effected
by employing the regulator on the connected machine to control the speed of the
apron or of the drum or drums or rollers which pass forward the cotton instead of
to control the speed of the lattice ordinarily used in the feeding of such machines.
We will describe our invention more fully with reference to the accompanying
drawings which illustrate the means we now propose to adopt when carrying our
invention into effect.
Fig. 1 of the said drawings represents a side elevation partly in section of a feed
apparatus connected with an opener.
In the said fig. a is the perforated revolving drum which takes the place of the
ordinary spiked apron is the ordinary horizontal apron c is the front wall of the
box d is part of an ordinary opener and e are feed rollers which pass the cotton
forward to the opener.
The drum a has a perforated or pervious cylindrical shell which is provided with
teeth or spikes to carry forward the cotton from the box. The box is enclosed on
the back by the drum on the front by the part c-which we will termn the box front-
and on the two sides by fixed walls or lined framing of an ordinary or suitable
nature. The excess of cotton carried forward by the drum is thrown off by a
revolving clearer f which may be similar in construction and action to the corre-
sponding part used in ordinary automatic feed apparatus. The interior of the
drum is connected with a fan-indicated by dotted lines at g-so that air is
withdrawn from such interior as in the case of the cage of an ordinary scutcher or
revolving beater machine. A damper a' is applied within the drum to shut off the
perforations on the delivery side or other suitable means are employed to effect the
same object. The draught of air through the shell of the drum aids in the obtain-
ment of a regular coating of cotton upon the drum and also tends to clean the
cotton by withdrawing dust therefrom. The said air draught also enables us to
use shorter spikes which have less tendency to carry forward large masses of cotton
and are more readily cleared from such masses by the clearer. We may fix or form
the spikes upon bars applied within the drum and projecting through perforations in
the same and we may make such bars adjustable so as to be able to lessen or increase the
projection of the spikes from the shell of the drum.
The cotton left upon the drum by the clearer f is detached or thrown off by means
of a revolving beater h which acts similarly to the corresponding part in the
ordinary automatic feed machine and may be of a similar construction. The
cotton so detached passes to the feed rollers e which occupy the position of
the ordinary feed rollers with which opening and cleaning machinery are usually
provided. In place of the pair of feed rollers we may apply any ordinary or
suitable feeding apparatus such for example as the shell or piano feed having only
one roller.

page_text: As the quantity of cotton passing between the rollers varies the upper roller
rises and falls and we make use of this movement to regulate the speed of the drum
and feed rollers. In the example we have made use of a regulating motion similar
to the regulator which has been used to vary the speed of the feeding apron of a
scutcher or revolving beater machine. The feed rollers are driven by means of a
spur wheel which revolves with the drum and is connected by intermediate
gearing with a wheel upon one of the feed roller shafts.
The wheel is connected by intermediate gearing k with the shaft of a driven
cone which is driven by a cone m. In the example a worm upon the shaft of the
cone / gears with a worm wheel which is attached to a pinion which gears with the
wheel i. As the gearing ijk would not appear in full owing to the sectional
character of the drawing such gearing is indicated by dotted circles.
The shaft of the driving cone m connected by means of the bevel gearing and
shaft n or by suitable means with a revolving shaft or part of the connected opener
so that when the action of the latter is arrested the motion of the said cone ceases.
The cone m is connected with the cone by means of a belt as is usual so that the
feed apparatus acts in concert with the opener machine and ceases to act when the
opener is stopped. A rod o rests upon the step of the upper feed roller upon each
side of the machine and is connected by means of an ordinary arrangement of levers
and parts p with the belt guide levers 9 9 so that when the upper feed roller rises
by reason of the passage of an increased quantity of cotton the belt is moved
downward so as to reduce the speed of the drum and feed rollers a lowering of the
feed roller having the converse effect of speeding the drum and feed rollers. As
the regulator apparatus is of an ordinary nature we have not considered it necessary
to illustrate it in detail. We do not confine ourselves to the use of the described
regulating apparatus as we may use any ordinary or suitable arrangement of parts
controlled by the cotton passing the feed roller or rollers to regulate the speed of
the drum or of the aprons in cases wherein an apron would be used in place of the
drum.
In place of the single drum we may arrange for the drum which lifts the cotton
out of the box to deliver to a second drum or to a toothed roller or to the first of a
series of toothed rollers arranged and driven so that the cotton would be passed
forward from one roller to another or a series of toothed rollers might be used in
place of the pervious drum.
The box front c-which may or may not be of a curved form as represented-is
mounted to turn upon a fulcrum at c¹ and is over balanced by means of a loaded
lever indicated by dotted lines at r and shown in the detached Fig. 2. This lever
tends to raise and move over the box front into the position indicated by the dotted
lines but this tendency is resisted by the weight of cotton in the box when the
latter is charged.
When the amount of cotton in the box has become greatly reduced the box front
being partly relieved commences to rise and move over toward the drum. We
make use of this movement to stop the action of the opener and if desired to sound
an alarm. The stopping arrangement is illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4. Upon the
fulcrum shaft c' of the box front is fixed a lever s which when the said box front
rises and moves over as aforesaid acts upon a levert which is fixed upon one end of
a rock shaft u. Upon the other end of the said shaft is fixed, a lever v which is
connected with the strap guide bar which controls the starting and stopping of the
opener. When the lever s acts upon the lever t the belt is shifted on to the loose
pulley and the action of the opener ceases. As the drum a receives its motion from
the opener the movement of the drum also ceases so that the feeding forward of the
cotton and the operation of the opener both cease until the attendant re-charges
the box. The parts for transmitting action from the box front to the belt guide of
the opener or attached machine may be greatly varied to suit the varying nature
and construction of the attached machines. The box front may be drawn back by
hand but in practice we have adopted a self acting re-setting motion which is
illustrated by Fig. 2.

page_text: r
The loaded lever in its descent moves downward one arm of a lever wo whereby
the other end of such lever is raised so as to bring a spur wheel carried by such arm
into gear with a wheel upon one of the shafts of the horizontal apron and a
wheel y which gears with a sector y' upon the fulcrum shaft of the box front the
result being that the box front is moved back into position to receive a fresh charge
of cotton.
Whilst this return movement is taking place the lever w is held down by a catch
which is released by the attendant after he has re-charged the box.
We do not confine ourselves to the method of obtaining the stopping action by
hinging the box front c as we may mount the apron or lattice so that it would
rise or so that one end would rise on being relieved of the weight of cotton or we
may so mount a board or part upon which the cotton or part of the cotton would
rest as herein before mentioned.
In place of using for our purpose a part upon which the cotton rests we may
hinge or mount a board or part so that it rests upon the cotton and is lowered as
the bulk of cotton decreases. It will be apparent that such lowering movement.
may be used to stop the connected machine.
As hereinbefore stated we may dispense with the lattice and apply a roller in
its place the curved box front c directing the cotton toward the drum or toward the-
apron in cases wherein such would be used. Fig. 5 illustrates a case wherein a
roller would be applied in place of the said lattice, and in combination with a
curved or inclined box front c' either fixed or hinged as in the case of the part c..
More than one roller might be so applied or a drum comparatively larger in
diameter than that indicated in the drawings.
When using the drum a we may dispense with the part without applying a.
roller or cylinder in its place.
We do not confine ourselves to the perforations in the drum-a-nor to the use of a
fan-in connection with the same.
We propose to apply regulating apparatus controlled by the feed rollers or by
apparatus taking the place of feed rollers in connection with automatic feed
apparatus combined with opening and cleaning machinery in cases wherein a
travelling apron would be used instead of the drum a as for example to the
ordinary automatic feed apparatus such regulating apparatus being arranged to
vary the speed of the apron with the object of obtaining a more regular feed to
the connected machine.
We also propose to apply our method of stopping the connected machine on the
running short of the charge of cotton in the feed box in the said cases wherein au
endless spiked apron would be used either with or without means for regulating the
speed of such apron.
In practice we inake use of the movement of the box front c to ring a bell so as
to warn the attendant.
Although we have referred only to cotton it must be understood that we do not
intend to restrict the application of our invention to machinery used in the
treatment of that material.
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 combination of parts constructed and arranged to act substantially as set
forth with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the attached drawings.
2. In-automatic feed apparatus of the indicated nature a revolving drum applied
in place of the ordinary endless apron for the purpose set forth.
3. 2. In euch automatic feed apparatus of the indicated nature a pervious drum
taking the place of the ordinary spiked lattice or apron in combination with a fan
or air exhaust apparatus for the purpose set forth.
4. 3. In such feed apparatus the use of series of spiked or toothed cylinders to

page_text: take up textile material out of a feed box and pass it forward to the feed rollers or
equivalent parts of a connected machine as set forth.
6. 4. In a combined opening beating or cleaning machine and automatic feed
machine for textile materials, the application of parts for regulating the speed of
the feed machine, such parts receiving motion from the first named machine viz.: the
opening, beating or cleaning machine and being controlled by the feed rollers or
equivalent parts between the two machines for the purpose set forth.
6. In automatic feed apparatus of the indicated nature the application-of
regulating apparatus to vary the speed of the parts which carry forward the textile
material such apparatus being controlled by the movement of feed rollers or parts
between which the material passes substantially as set forth.
7. 5. In such combined machines mounting a part upon which the material rests
or partly rests when in the feed box to rise when relieved of the weight of the
material in connection with parts for arresting the action of the opener beater or
cleaning machine substantially as set forth.
8. 6. In such combined machines the box front e mounted to turn upon a bottom
fulcrum and over-balanced so that it is kept down or back by the weight of material
in the feed box and rises or moves forward when relieved of such weight substan-
tially as and for the purpose or purposes set forth.
9. 7. In such combined machines arranging for a part in contact with the material
in the feed box to move as the feed box empties and employing such movement to
stop the opening or cleaning machine substantially as set forth.
10. 8. In automatic feed apparatus of the indicated nature a roller or drum or
two or more cylinders applied in combination with a toothed drum or apron and
a curved or inclined box front c or c¹ substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Dated this 1st day of December 1893.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.