Year: 1886

page_text: We JAMES PEARCE HILLARD and WILLIAM HENRY GOLDSMITH, both of Fall
River, Massachusetts, United States of America, Cotton Spinners do hereby
declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention relates to the class of machines designed to separate and obtain
the short fibre from the refuse or waste of fibre-working machines.
The objects of our invention are to provide a very efficient waste fibre picking
machine of a compact and simple form, and whereby the short fibre is rapidly
separated from the waste and is secured at certain points while the undesirable
thread-like material and foreign matter is lodged at fixed points.
To these ends our invention consists of the arrangement of hollow cylinders
provided with interior fixed spines, and of a rotary shaft disposed in the line of
the long axis of the cylinders and provided with fixed teeth and with radial
beaters or arms and with suitable fans. Further the invention consists in the
arrangement of our peculiar picker-cylinders either singly or in any desirable
series wherein they are constructed with suitable communications.
In the accompanying drawings;-
:
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of our waste-picker complete and
mounted on a suitable table, and with the cover of one of the picker-cylinders
laid open.
Figure 2 represents a top plan view of figure 1, with the covers removed from
the cylinders.
Figure 3 represents a similar view as figure 2, of a modified form of our waste-
picker.
:
Figures 4 and 5 represent top plan views of further modified forms of the
machine, showing the arrangement of single picker-cylinders. In the views the
covers of the cylinders are removed.
In the said drawings like numbers designate corresponding parts throughout.
Referring to the drawings the frame-work 10 is provided with cross-pieces
disposed diagonally, and is supported by suitable legs 11. The picker-cylinders 12
are hollow truncated cones, closed at both ends and made preferably of sheet-
metal. The cylinders 12 are divided or halved through their longitudinal centers,
and the lower halves are arranged with their edges against the lower side of frame-
work 10 and are secured in these positions. The upper halves or covers are hinged
by one of their long edges to the frame-work, and their other long edges are
provided with lugs 13 designed to interlock with the locks 14 swivelled on the
frame-work. By this construction the covers may be closed down and locked with
TD 031

page_text: their edges against the upper side of the frame-work, and thereby form closed or
imperforate compartments with the exception of the communicating passages 15
leading from one cylinder to the other, or the feed-opening 16, and the exit 17.
The portions of the frame-work 10 lying between the long edges of the halves of.
the picker-cylinder's are armed with short pins or spines 18, which are fixed and
may be of the same or graduated lengths. These spines 18 project inwardly
toward the long axis of the cylinders in the lines of which are arranged the
rotary shafts 27 having ordinary bearings at their ends, set in the frame work 10.
On one end of the shafts 27 are mounted the fast and loose pulleys 19-21, and
alternating with these pulleys are arranged the freely turning guide-pulleys 20,
which are together belted up with the power pulleys, so as to rotate the shafts 27
all in the same direction. The driving-belt may be supposed as following the path
indicated by the arrows, when placed about the pulleys. The rotary shafts 27 are
provided each with a longitudinally disposed groove 8 sunk in the body thereof.
The fixed beaters or arms 9 are arranged radially upon the shafts 27 and lie in the
same planes. The beaters, 9 are straight and of graduated lengths to conform to
the cone-cylinders 12. Near one end of the cylinder the paddle or fan like
arms 25 are used in place of the narrow beaters. This arrangement of the fans 25
'is to gain a suction-draught in the length of the cylinders, in order to draw
the
light, fluffy tufts of the short-fiber into one end of the cylinder.
The beaters and fans are shown in figures 1 and 2. as arranged to have their free
ends pass between the spines of the cylinders and produce a combing effect on.
any material caught there between.
In the modification of figure 3 the cylinders are of a double truncated cone
shape, and the left hand and the middle cylinder have their rotary shafts 27
provided with beaters 9 only and these cylinders have communicating passages 15
at each end, and with a single central passage 15 leading from the middle to the
right hand cylinder. In this form the last or right hand cylinder 12 has its shaft
arranged with fans 25 solely and has an exit at each end.
In the modified form of figure 4 the large and feeding end of the cylinder 12 is
provided with a drum 28 turning on the rotary shaft 27, and armed with teeth 29,
which coact with the spines 18 adjacent thereto. When the waste material is
introduced into the cylinder it first falls upon the toothed-drum 28, which together
with spines 18, tears open the knots and tufts of the material and opens them up
for the easier and more perfect action of the beaters, as the material is drawn
along the cylinder by the suction-draught of the fan 25, which in this form
consists merely of a two-winged broad fan.
i
In the further modified form of figure 5, the construction corresponds to that of
figure 4, just described, except that the picker-cylinder is longer and the fans 25
are smaller and are very numerous.
.
The operation of my machine is as follows: The waste material is fed into-the
left hand cylinder through the feed-box 16, at the smaller end of the cylinder and
falling on the rotating beaters 9 is thrown against the spines 18 and thus opened
out, with a tendency of the long thread-like material to twine around the shaft 27.
This action of the beaters and spines is repeated as the suction draught, created by
the rotating fans 25, draws the light weighted and short fiber toward the larger
end of the cylinder, from where it is dislodged and blown by the fans through the
communicating passage 15, into the middle cylinder where the process is repeated,
and in the mean while the long undesirable threads are wound upon the rotary
shafts, and the short fiber is becoming freer from the threads and foreign matter.
From the middle cylinder the fluffy short-fiber is conveyed to the right hand one
as described for the middle one, and from the right hand cylinder it is carried,
by the fans 25, out through the exit 17 in a very pure and clean condition.
After this process the long threads will be found coiled around the rotary
shafts 27, from where they may be readily removed, by running a knife blade
along groove 8 and cutting thein loose, while all the desirable short fiber that is
reclaimed from the waste is delivered at the exit 17..

page_text: The operation of the machine is the same as described for the single form of
cylinders, as shown in figures 4 and 5, where the additional feature of the toothed-
drum is employed, as described.
We show the use of halved picker-cylinders capable of being readily opened for
inspection of the interiors, however, in place of this form undivided ones may
be used.
By the operation of our machine we can reclaim nearly all the short fiber from
cotton-waste, which would otherwise go as waste, or be picked by hand, which is
a tedious, inefficient and expensive method. The machine is durable and performs
its work rapidly.
There may be various modifications made in the several parts of our machine
without a substantial departure from the spirit of the invention, as herein described
and claimed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;
1st. In combination, an imperforate hollow cylinder, a series of fixed spiness upon
the internal walls of said cylinder, a rotary shaft disposed in the line of the major
axis of said cylinder, a series of fixed beaters or arms arranged upon said shaft
and coacting with said spines.
2nd. In combination, an imperforate hollow cone cylinder, a series of short
fixed spines upon the interior-walls of said cylinder and projecting toward the
major axis thereof, a rotary-shaft disposed in the line of said major axis, a series
of graduated fixed radial beaters, and a set of fans arranged upon said shaft, said
beaters and fans coacting with said spines substantially as described.
3rd. In combination, a hollow truncated cone cylinder provided with a feed inlet
and an outlet, said cylinder divided on its longitudinal center, a series of fixed
spines arranged upon the interior walls of said cylinder in longitudinal lines, a
rotary shaft disposed in the line of the major axis and provided with a longitudinal
groove, a series of graduated fixed radial beaters and a set of fans set upon said
shaft, a toothed-drum keyed upon said rotary-shaft adjacent to said feed inlet,
substantially as described.
4th. In combination, a series of hollow truncated cone cylinders disposed with
their major axes horizontal and parallel, communicating passages between said
cylinders, said cylinders halved longitudinally and provided with internal fixed
spines disposed in longitudinal lines, a rotary shaft lying in the line of the major
axis of each cylinder and provided with a series of graduated radial beaters and
a set of radial fans, the initial cylinder provided with a feed inlet and the terminal
cylinder provided with an exit, a supporting frame for said parts, substantially as
described.
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