IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND PREPARING WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Cowper, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the.
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND PREPARING
WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Cowper at the:
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th May 1858.
I, CHARLES COWPER, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND PREPARING
WOOL, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to improvements, on an invention for which Letters
Patent were granted to Josué Heilmann, bearing date at Westminster, on or
about the Twenty-fifth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-six. In one of the machines comprize l in this former Patent, the lap,
sliver, or fleece of wool or other fibrous material is broken asunder, and the
fibres are combed at each end, pincers or nippers being employed to hold the
fibrous material. The long and short fibresare separated, the long ones being.
united in one sliver, and the short ones in another.
The present improvements relate chiefly to the pincer's motion,the feeding
apparatus,and the detaching apparatus,instead of giving the pincers, a motio u

page_text: in a direction tangential, or nearly so, to the combing or main drum, they
are caused to move in a more radial direction, or to and from the centre of
the combing drum, by which means the motion of the lower bar of the pincers
may be dispensed with, or made very small. The upper bar may be moved
by a crank, or eccentric, or cam.the pressure being regulated by a spring; or
when the lower bar is moveable, it may be kept up to a stop by a spring, and
pushed away from the stop by the pressure of the upper bar when it descends
upon it. Several leads or sets of pincers may be driven by the same motion.
The upper bar of the pincers is made to project and extend beyond the lower
bar, and this projection is concentric with or follows the form of the combing
drum, so as to force the fibres into the combs. The part which nips or holds
the fibrous material is grooved or fluted so as to hold it firmly. The projecting
part of the upper bar also serves to clean the teeth of the comb through which
the fibres are drawn off.
The feeding apparatus is made with a porcupine roller, which receives an
intermittent motion from a disc and pin, and a star wheel, or other means. A
guide plate, embracing some parts of the periphery of the porcupine roller
serves to force the fibres into its pins.
The detaching rollers are carried by a lever or levers mounted on an axis or
spindleontheoppositesideofthe mainor combing drum,or so placed as to admit
of their moving to and from the pincers. These levers are worked by a cam
or cams. One or both of the detaching rollers is orare mounted on a second
lever or pair of levers, carried by the aforesaid levers, and actuated by another
cam or cams, through the intervention of a spring or springs, which cause the
roller to press upon a plain or leather covered part or parts of the main drum
at the proper times, in order to draw off the wool or fibrous material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Cowper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
COWPER, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year ofour Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the.

page_text: said Charles Cowper, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Cowper,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said
Charles Cowper, my 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 FOR COMBING AND PREPARING WOOL. COTTON. AND OTHER FIBROUS MATE-
RIALS, .communicated to me from abroad, upon the condition (ainongst others)
that I, thesaid Charles Cowper,myexecut rs oradministrators, byaninstrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 I, the said Charles Cowper, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereot, that is to say:-
The Invention relates to improvements on an Invention for which Letters-
Patent were granted to Josué Heilmann, bearing date at Westminster, on or
about the Twenty-fifth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-six. In one of the machines comprised in this former Patent, the lap,
sliver, or fleece of wool or other fibrous material, is broken asunder, and the
fibres are combed at each end, pincers or nippers being employed to hold the
fibrous material. The long and short fibres are separated, the long ones being.
united in one sliver, and the short ones in another.
The present improvements relate chiefly to the pincer's motion, the feeding
apparatus, and the detaching apparatus. Instead of giving the pincers a
motion in a direction tangential, or nearly so, to the combing or main drum ;
they are caused to move in a more radial direction, or to and from the centre
of the combing drum, by which means the motion of the lower bar of the
pincers may be dispensed with, or made very small. The upper bar may be
moved by a crank, or eccentric, or cam, the pressure being regulated by a
spring; or when the lower bar is moveable, it may be kept up to a stop by a
spring, and pushed away from the stop by the pressure of the upper bar, when
it descends upon it. Several heads or sets of pincers may be driven by the
same motion. The upper bar of the pincers is made to project and extend
beyond the lower bar, and this projection is concentric with or follows the

page_text: form of the combing drum, so as to force the fibres into the combs. The part
which nips or holds the fibrous material is grooved or fluted, so as to hold it
firmly. The projecting part of the upper bar also serves to clean the teeth of
the comb through which the fibres are drawn off. The feeding apparatus is
made with a porcupine roller, which receives an intermittent motion from a
disc and pin, and a star wheel, or other meaus. A guide plate, embracing
some parts of the periphery of the porcupine roller, serves to force the fibres
into its pins. The detaching rollers are carried by a lever or levers, mounted
on an axis or spindle on the opposite side of the main or combing drum, or so
placed as to admit of their moving to and from the pincers. These levers are
worked by a cam or cams. One or both of the detaching rollers is or are
mounted on a second lever or pair of levers, carried by the aforesaid levers,
and actuated by another cam or cams, through the intervention of a spring or
springs, which cause the roller to press upon a plain or leather covered part or
parts of the main drum at the proper times, in order to draw off the wool or
fibrous material.
Figure 1, Sheet I., of the accompanying Drawings is a vertical section of
a machine constructed according to the present Invention, and adapted for
combing cotton and other short fibres. Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, Sheet II.,
represent a machine adapted for combing wool and other long fibres. In
Figure 1, 1, is a lap of cotton resting on two rollers 1 a, 1 b, which receive a
continuous or intermitteni motion which feeds the cotton into the machine.
The lap is conducted over an apron 2, and is pressed into the teeth of a
porcupine roller 4 by a guide plate 3, from which the lap passes between the
upper and lower jaws or nippers 5 and 5 a, and projects within reach of the
combs 6 a on the combing drum 6. This combing drum 6 carries a series of
combs G on one side, and a grooved or fluted service at the 'other side,
separated from the combs by spaces. 7 is a comb which may be called the
fixed comb, as it does not revolve like the combing drum 6, but is fixed'on a
lever 7 a, which has merely an up and down motion at the 'proper intervals,
turning on the axis 7 b. 8 and 9 are the detaching rollers. The roller 9 is
mounted on the frame of the machiue, but the roller S is mounted on a lever
or levers 8 b, turning on the spindle 8 g, or on the axis of the roller 9, and
receiving motion from a lever Sh and connecting rod 14 6'and lever 14 a on
the spindle 14. This spindle carries another lever, which is acted on by 'a
can revolving at the same velocity as the combing drum'6. This cam and
some of the other parts of the machine are omitted in the Drawing, as the
mode of applying them will be sufficiently obvious on comparing this machine
with that shewu iu Sheet II. of the Drawings 'accompanying the present

page_text: Specification, and with those shewn in the aforesaid Specification of Josué
Heilmann, and in the Specification of certain Letters Patent granted to John
Hetherington,aud bearing date tho Twenty-eighth dayof April,One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three. The roller S is constantly pressed towards the
combing drum 6 by a curved arm 14 connected by a rod 147 to a lever 14m,
from which is suspended a weight 14 n. The roller 8 is raised or drawn away
from the combing drum 6 by the action of the cam, as herein-before
mentioned. The combed cotton passes over an apron or guide plate 10 6 to
the delivery rollers 10 and 10 a. Sa is a roller resting on the roller 9, and
serving to prevent the cotton from winding round the roller 8; Scis a
cleaning roller, for cleaning the roller 8; 11 is a shaft, carrying a revolving
brush 11 a,which removes the noil or short fibres from the combing drum 6,
and deposits them upon the doffer 12, which is covered with wire card, and
from which they are romoved by the doffing knife or comb 13 b carried
by a lever 13 a turning on the axis 13. This lever 13 a is driven by a con-
necting rod and crank in the ordinary manner. The bearings of the brush
shaft 11, doffer 12, and the spindle 13 of the doffing knife, arc mounted on a
planed portion of the frame, on which their proper positions can be accurately
adjusted by screws with great facility. The upper jaw of the nippers or
pincers 5 is mounted on a lever 5 b fixed on the spindle 5 c, which carries
another lever 5 c connected by a rod 5 p to a lever 5 q fixed upon a spindle 5r.
5s is another lever, turning loose on the same spindle, and giving motion to
the lever 57, or to another lever fixed on the spindle 5r by two adjustable
screws. The lever 5 s carries a roller, which is kept in contact with a cam 5 h
on a shaft 5 by a spring 5 at the other end of the lever. The motion of
the upper jaw 5 is thus governed by the cam 5 h. The lower jaw 5 a is
mounted on a lever 5 d, turning loose upon the spindle 5 c,and connected to
or forming part of a lever 5 i, to which is attached a spring 5 f. 5 n is a
screw passing through the lever 5 i, and resting against the stop 5 m. The
lower jaw 5 a remains stationary until the upper jaw 5 descends and presses
upon it, and it then yields a little, and again returns to its former position,
when the upper jaw 5 rises. The clasticity thus obtained is sufficient to
nip or pinch the cotton with certainty. The lower jaw may however be
fixed, in which case it is advantageous to apply a spring on the connecting
rod 5 p, as herein-after described in reference to the connecting rod 14 6 in
Figures 2 and 3, in order to give a little elasticity to the nip upon the cotton.
The upper jaw 5 is serrated or fluted at the part which comes in contact with
the lower jaw, which iscovered with leather or othersuitable smooth material.
The lower end of the jaw 5 projects below the lower jaw, and is made of the
2

page_text: same curvature or concentric with or tangential to the points of the teeth of
the combing drum 6. The cotton is thus pressed into the teeth of the combs.
The action of this machine is as follows:-The lap of cotton is laid over
the apron 2 and conducted under the porcupine roller 4, and between the
pincers 5 and 5 a, by which it is held with a tuft projecting beyond the
pincers. The machine being put in motion, the teeth of the combing drum
pass in succession through the projecting tuft and carry away the noil or
short fibres, leaving the tuft of clean long fibres held by the pincers. When
the last comb has passed the tuft, the jaw 5 ascends, and the comb 7 descends
into the cleau tuft. The fluted part.66 of the combing drum now comes
under the tuft,, which lies upon it, and the roller 8 descends upon the tuft,
which is thus pinched between the roller and the fluted part of the combing
drum. The roller: 8. is thus caused to revolve, and to draw the tuft of cotton
botween it.and the roller 9. At the same time the porcupine 4 turns a little,
and allows a fresh portion of the lap to advance, and then stops. The tuft of
long fibres is pulled away by the rollers 8 and 9,leaving the noil or short fibres
in the.comb 7,and the roller S then rises, and the rollers 8 and 9 then stop aud
reversetheir motion sufficientlyto bring back and present the tail of the tuft of
long fibres partly projecting from them. The motion may be communicated
to the rollers, as described in the Specification of the aforesaid Letters Patent
granted to John Hetherington. The jaw 5 now descends and nips the cotton,
and in descending it cleans the comb 7. The combs 6a on the main drum 6
now pass through the new tuft of cotton, combing it as before described, and
also laying down the tail of the first tuft into a suitable position for uniting
with or overlapping the next tuft. The various motions take place as before,
and the new tuft enters between the detaching rolle rs and lies against and
unites with the tail of the first tuft. Thus, at each revolution of the drum 6,
a fresh tuft of cotton is combed, and the long fibres are united in a continuous
lap or sliver, which passes over the apron or guide 10 b, and through the
rollers.10 and 10 a. As the combs 6 a on the drum 6 pass round, the noil or
short fibres are removed bythe brush 11 a, which revolves at a greater velocity
than the drum,6,and carries the noil to the card roller or doffer 12, from
which it is stripped off in a continuous lap or sliver by the doffing knife or
comb 13b1
+1
Figure 2, Sheet II., is a section, and Figure 3 is a side elevation of another
machine constructedaccordingto the Invention, and moreparticularlyadapted
for combing wool and other long fibres. The lap or sliver of wool or other
fibrous substance is conducted over the board or apron 2, and is pressed into
the teeth of the porcupine roller 4 by a guide plate 3, from which it passes

page_text: between the upper jaw 5 and the lower jaw 5, of the nippers or pincers, and,
projects within reach of the combing drum 6. This.combing drum 6. carries;
two series of combs 6, and two surfaces covered with leather. The comb
7 is fixed on a lever Ta, turning on the axis 70, aud. provided with a screwa
stop 7, which prevents it from descending too low. 7 d is a bracket ou the
lover 7; Teis a lever turning loose on the axis 7 b, and carrying a roller at
its lower end, which comes in contact with a cam 7%, on the shaft 5; 7 g is
a screw on the lever 7 e, which is brought in contact with the bracket 7 d, by
the action of the cam 7 f, and thus raises the comb 7 at the proper time. The
shaft 5 carries another cam 5h, which acts upon an adjustable roller at the
end of a lever 5 e, on the spindle 5 c, which carries the levers 5 band theupper
jaw 5 of the nippers. The nippers or pincers and the porcupine are shewn in
section on a larger scale in Figure 4. The lower jaw 5 a is mounted on a
lever or levers 5d. turning loose upon the spindle 5 c, and connected to a lever
5i, which carries a screw 5 n, which rests upon a stop 4m, being drawn down.
by a spring 5. 8 and 9 are the detaching rollers, which are shewn in section.
on a larger scale in Figure 5. The roller S has a motion round the axis of
the roller 9, by which it is brought in contact with the surfaces 6 b of the
main or combing drum. In addition to this motion, both rollers have a
motion round the axis 14 by which they are moved away from the nippers at
the proper times, so as to detach the tuft of wool or other long fibres. The
bearings of the roller & slide in guides in the levers 8 6, and are pressed
towards the roller 9 by hooks 16 and springs 16a, which are adjusted by screws.
16. The levers Sb receive their motion from rods 14 b connected to the
ends of levers 14 a, turning loose on the shaft 14, and carrying a roller or
rollers at 14 d, actuated by a grooved or face cam 18 on the shaft 17. The.
rod 14 is not rigidly jointed to the lever 8b, but acts upon it through the
intervention of a helical spring, whose pressure is adjusted by screw nuts on.
the rod. An endless band of leather or other suitable material passes round,
the roller 9, and round another roller 9c, mounted on the frame of the machine.
9a and 9 are two rollers mounted on bent levers 9 e, to which are connected
helical springs 9. The rollers 9 a and 96 are thus pressed up against the
band and keep it tight. Sa is a roller which is mounted on levers Sd, whose.
fulera Scare on the levers Sb, and which are drawn down by springs 8 f.
The roller Sais thus pressed lightly upon the endless band, and prevents the.
wool from winding round the roller 8. The wool passes from the band over
the roller 9 d, and through the guide or funnel 10 b, to the delivery rollers
10 and 10 a. The noil or short fibres are removed from the teeth of the
combs 6u by a revolving brush 11 on the shaft 11, and transferred to the

page_text: doffer cylinder 12, from which they are detached by the doffing knife or comb
13, on tic lever 13 turning on the shaft 13. The lever 13 is driven by
a connecting rod and a crank pin on a toothed wheel, which is driven by
another wheel or pinion on the shaft 11. The roller 9 has a cylindrical hole or
cavity at each end, which cavities receive two cylindrical pins passing through
and fixed to two large levers 15, which are fixed to the shaft 14. These pins
also pass through and form the bearings of the levers Sb. One or each of the
levers 15 carries a sliding piece 15 d, which is capable of being adjusted by a
screw, and which carries a roller which rests on a cam 17 on the shaft 17.
The lever 15 carries a screw 15 a, which comes against a fixed stop at 15 b,
and prevents the lever from rising too high. The machine receives its motion
from a belt passing round the pulley I, fixed on the shaft 19, which carries at
its other extremity a wheel II., with seventy teeth driving a wheel III.,
with eighty teeth on the cam shaft 17. The shaft 17 carries at its other end
a pinion IV., with thirty-six teeth, driving the wheel VI. of seventy-two teeth,
by means of an intermediate wheel V of one liundred teeth. The wheel VI.
is on the shaft 6 of the combing drum, and drives a pinion VII. of thirty-six
teeth, which carries a disc and an eccentric pin which drives a star wheel
turning on a pin or stud, and carrying a pinion VIHI., which drives a wheel
IX. with seventy teeth on the spindle of the porcupine roller 4. The pinion
VIII.may have eighteen,twenty-one.or twenty-four teeth,and different pinions
may be substituted to vary the motion of the porcupine. The stud and the
disc and pin which drive the star wheel are adjustable to accommodate the
different pinions. The wheel or pinion VII. drives another wheel X. of thirty-
six teeth on the shaft 5 %, which carries the cams for giving motion to the
pincers and the comb 7. A pinion XI. of twenty-teeth on the shaft 5 k drives
a wheel XII, of seventy teeth, which turns on a moveable or adjustable stud,
and carries a pinion XIII., of twenty teeth, which drives a wheel XIV. of
eighty teeth on the shaft 12 of the doffer roller. The brush shaft 11 carries a
pulley XX. driven by a belt from a pulley XIX. on the driving shaft 19. A
pinion of twenty teeth on the shaft 11 drives a wheel of forty teeth, which
carries a crank and communicates a reciprocating motion by a connecting rod
and lever to the doffing knife or comb. The shaft of the combing drum 6 carries
a pulley XV., which by means of a belt or endless band drives a pulley XVI.
on the delivery roller 10, which drives the upper roller 10 a, by means ofa pair
of equal wheels.
The roller 9e is driven by the endless band from the roller 9, and carries
apinion XXII., which drives an equal pinion XXIII., on the spindle of the
roller 9; by means of an intermediate pinion XXIV. The action of this

page_text: The
machine is similar to that of the machine shown in Figure I.,except as regards
the detaching motion. The nippers or pincers being closed with a tuft of the
wool projecting beyond them, the combs of the main drum pass through this
tuft and comb it. When the last comb has passed, the pincer's rise a little
and open, so that the leather segment 6 b may I not turn away the tuft.
detaching rollers carried by the levers 15, and governed by the cam 17 a,
approach towards the combing drum and the pincers. When the screw 15 a
reaches the stop 15 b, the lever 14 a, actuated by the cam 18 continues to
rise, and by means of the spring rod 146 raises the lever 8 b. The grooved
roller 8 is thus caused to move round the axis of the roller 9, and apply itself
to the leather segment 6 6, pressing upon the tuft of wool, and being put in
motion by its contact with the segment.
At the moment that the tuft is
stretched between the roller 8 and the porcupine 4, the comb 7 descends
between the grooved roller 8 and the upper jaw 5 of the pincers. The leather
seginent 6 and the roller 8 turning together, draw the tuft through the comb
7 and the teeth of the porcupine 4, and enter its head between the rollers.
8 and 9. The lever 14 a, actuated by the cam 18, descends, and causes the
roller & to leave the combing drum. At the same time, the revolution of the
cam 17 a allows the whole detaching apparatus to descend with the levers 15,
and thus to separate the combed tuft from the feeding sliver, by drawing the
fibres through the comb 7 and the teeth of the porcupine, leaving an end of
sufficient length projecting from the rollers to serve for joining or piecing on
to the next tuft. This end, while the roller 8 is away from the leather
segment of the combing drum, receives a second combing from some of the
combs 6 a, if necessary. At the following operation the head of the next tuft
overlaps, and is so pieced up to this projecting end. A continuous ribbon or
lap, or sliver is thus formed, and is conducted by the endless band or roller
9 d into a funnel or guide 10 6, and through the delivering rollers 10 and 10 a
into a can or other receptacle.
In both of the machines, herein-before described, a porcupine roller is
shewn in the feeding apparatus. The lower jaw of the pincers 5 a being a
fixture, or nearly so, a porcupine with a guide, as shewn in the Drawings, may
be used as the feeding apparatus, because the lap or sliver is never brought
out of the teeth of the porcupine, as it would be it a porcupine were applied
to machines with the pincers' motions, described in the aforesaid Specifications
of Josué Heilmann and John Hetherington. Two or more porcupines and
guides may be employed, and the lap or sliver may be conducted through the
teeth of them all in succession.

page_text: Having now described the nature of the Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what I claim is,-
First, the improvement or improvements on Heilmann's combing machinery,
herein-before described, with respect to the motion of the pincers or nippers.
Second, constructing the upper jaw of the pincers or nippers of such form
as to press the tuft of fibrous material into the combs of the combing drum
and also the combination of such forin of jaw with the pincers' motion, herein-
before described. Also, constructing the upper jaw of the pincers or nippers
of such form as to clean the comb 7, and the combination of such form of jaw
with the aforesaid pincers' motion.
Third, the combination of one or more porcupine rollers and guides with
pincers or nippers having the improved motion, herein-before described.
Fourth, the combination of machinery, herein-before described, in reference
to Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings
Fifth, the combination of machinery, herein-bofore described, in reference
to Sheet II. of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Cowper, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of
our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and fitty-eight.
CHARLES COWPER. (L.S.)