CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN CARDING ENGINES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1868

page_text: Sealed the 3rd November 1868, and dated the 14th May 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bispham Kay
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his l'etition,
.. on the 14th May 1868.
I, THOMAS BISPHAM KAY, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said lnvention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CARDING ENGINES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to. be as follows:-
My Invention relates to that part of carding engines known as the
top cards" or "flats," and is designed for the purpose of adjusting or
setting such "flats collectively and by self-acting means to the surface
of the main carding cylinder as the card surface thereof is worn away
by grinding

page_text: The improvements consist in the novel employment, use, and
application of a peculiar form of surface for such purpose which is
like the frustrum of a cone," that is, a surface which is convex or
circular from right to left, and also diminishes in diameter and is
inclined as part of a cone in the direction from back to front, whereby
the "setting
or adjustment of the "
top cards" or ** flats to the
periphery of the cylinder of a carding engine may be collectively and
simultaneously effected.
"
The frustrum of a cone or such surface as described is to be applied
to each bend of the carding engine by means of supporting flanges
or studs, and is made capable of sliding or traversing in a horizontal
direction upon such flanges or studs by means of regulating screws or
may be retained in position thereby. Upon this inclined convex surface
are guide rests, which are supported thereby and are capable of sliding
on the side of the "bend" on radial guides extending from the centre
of the cylinder shaft to the centre of each flat, which rest on regulating
and fixing screws in the upper of the said rests. These guide rests
are retained against the convex inclined surface by a chain which
passes over a projection on each, the pressure of which may be regulated
by screws. Where traversing or chain flats are used the regulating
guide rest screws may be dispensed with, and the head of the guide
rests, that is, the surface upon which the "flats" would slide, made in
the form of an are described from the centre of the cylinder, with a
radius proportionate to its diameter; thus as the card wire on the
cylinder and flats" wears down the two adjusting surfaces, if they
be connected by right and left handed screws across the engine, may
be caused thereby to traverse outwardly simultaneously or may be
disconnected and move separately, the sliding guide rests would diminish
in radius, and the whole of the guide rests, and consequently the flats,
would approach the centre of the cylinder in an equal degree, and
vice versa. This arrangement may be altered and modified by the
use of a curved slide with studs or plates to support the guide rests
directed towards the apex of a cone, and capable of sliding in and out
on a flange or studs fastened to the bend; or a series of studs or plates
having their upper surfaces supporting the guide rests directed towards
the apex of a cone may be fixed to the bend, and the guide rests
supporting the flats may be caused to traverse in and out; or the lower
portion of each guide rest, that is, the portion of it bearing upon the
"

page_text: .surface, may be urade in the form of an inclined.plane, which could then
be supported and slide upon the edge of a segment. of a.cylinder..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Bispham Kay, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th November 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BISPHAM KAY, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters l'atent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight; in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Bispham Kay, Her special license
that I, the said Thomas Bispham Kay, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as 1, the said Thomas Bispham Kay, 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, and Invention for CERTAIN IMPROVE.
MENTS IN CARDING ENGINES TO BE EMPLOYED FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Bispham Kay, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument 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 Thomas Bispham Kay, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what inanner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to
sav):

page_text: "
My Invention relates to that part of carding engines known as the
top cards" or flats," and is designed for the purpose of adjusting
or setting such flats" collectively to the surface of the main carding
cylinder as the card surfaces thereon are worn away by grinding.
The improvements consist in the novel employment, use, and appli-
cation of a peculiar form of surface for such purpose, which is like a
segment of the frustrum of a cone, that is, a surface which is convex or
circular from right to left, and also diminishes in diameter and is
inclined as part of a cone in the direction from back to front, whereby
the setting or adjustment of the top cards or flats to the periphery of
the cylinder of a carding engine may be collectively and simultaneously
effected.
The frustrum of a cone or such surface as described is to be applied
to each bend of the carding engine by means of supporting flanges or
studs and is made capable of sliding or traversing in a horizontal
direction upon such flanges or studs by means of regulating screws or
may be retained in position thereby. Upon this inclined convex surface
are guide rests which are supported thereby and are capable of sliding on
the side of the "bend" on guides radiating from the centre of the cylinder
shaft to the centre of each flat which rest on regulating and fixing
screws in the upper portion of the said rests by which the requisite
bevil and position of the "flats" at the commencement can be obtained.
These guide rests are retained against the convex inclined surface by
a chain which passes over a projection on each, the pressure of which
may be regulated by screws at each end. Where traversing or chain
flats are used the regulating guide rest screws may be dispensed with
and the head of the guide rests, i.e., the surface upon which the "flats"
would slide, made in the form of an are described from the centre of
the cylinder with a radius proportionate to its diameter; thus as the
card wire on the cylinder and "flats " wears down the two adjusting
surfaces, if they be connected by right and left handed screws across
the engine, may be caused thereby to traverse outwardly simultaneously,
or may be disconnected and move separately when the part of the
segment supporting the sliding guide rests would diminish in radius
and the whole of the guide rests, and consequently the flats, would
approach the centre of the cylinder in an equal degree, and vice versa.
This arrangement may be altered and modified by the use of a curved
slide with studs or plates to support the guide rests directed towards

page_text: the apex of a cone and capable of sliding in and out on a flange or
studs fastened to the bend; or a series of studs or plates having their.
upper surfaces supporting the guide rests directed towards the apex of
a cone may be fixed to the bend and the guide rests supporting the
flats may be caused to traverse in and out; or the lower portion of each
guide rest, Le., the portion of it bearing upon the surface of the
segment, may be made in the form of an inclined plane, which
could then be supported and slide upon the edge of a segment of a
cylinder; but I prefer the arrangement firstly herein described. The
flange and the guide ribs may be cast in a ring and afterwards cut
up into the required lengths and screwed in position against the side
of each "bend," and the segment of a frustrum of a cone may also be
cast in a ring and afterwards cut up; or the guide ribs instead of being
cast upon the ring or bend may be made so as to be capable of
adjustment to the right or to the left, according to the width of the
flats.
Such being the nature and, object of my said Invention for "Certain
Improvements in Carding Engines to be employed for Carding Cotton
and other Fibrous Substances," I will now proceed to describe more in
detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be carried into
practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood
I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and
have marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation thereof, that is to say:-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawings represents a side view of part of the
bend of a carding engine shewing the application of my Invention
thereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same through the line 1, 2;
and Fig. 3, front and side views of the guide rest as applied to carding
engines having stationary flats. All the Figures are drawn full size.
A, A, represents the "bend" of the carding engine having a
projecting flange A', A', upon which rests the segment B, B, the
section of which (as seen at Fig. 2) is in the form of the frustrum of
a cone. This segment B, B, is capable of sliding on the flange A', A",
in a horizontal direction further from the end of the main carding
cylinder B, B', as shewn by the arrow. The segment is provided at
" will
intervals with lugs b, b, of which three or four on each "segment
suffice, through which bolts E, E, pass provided with nuts G, G, for
retaining the same and spiral springs F, F, for forcing the segment

page_text: outwards whenever the nuts G, G, are slackened. C, C, are the guide
rests for supporting the ends of the flats D, D; these guide rests are
provided with grooves at the back and are capable of sliding to and
from the centre of the main cylinder upon radial ribs c, c, projecting
from the face of the bend; they are supported upon the conical surface
of the segment B, B, by means of projections c', c*, and are retained in
contact therewith by a chain E, E, passing over the said projections and
held tight by screws at each end. When the cards are new the position
of the segment is close to the face of the bend, as shewn at Fig. 2;
but as the cards become worn the nuts G, G, are to be slackened when
the spiral springs F, F, will force the segment outwards in the direction
of the arrow, allowing the guide rests C, C, to slide down its inclined
surface, and thus bring all the top cards or flats simultaneously nearer
to the circumference of the main carding cylinder.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I would have it understood that
I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly. The application of a segment of the frustrum of a cone to
each bend or side of a carding engine for setting or adjusting the "flats "
or "top cards."
Secondly. The combination of the segment of the frustrum of a cone
with the sliding guide rests and tightening chain either with
without the transverse connecting bars across the carding engine, as
herein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings
attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bispham Kay, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
T. B. KAY. (L.S.)