IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Charles Evans, Cloth Manufacturer, of
Brimscombe Mills, in the County of Gloucester, and Henry James
Hogg King, Engineer, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL OR OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES."
Scaled the 10th July 1869, and dated the 20th January 1809.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Charles Evans
and Henry James Hogg King at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 20th January 1869.
We, PHILIP CHARLES EVANS, Cloth Manufacturer, of Brimscombe
Mills, in the County of Gloucester, and HENRY JAMES HOGG KING,
Engineer, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "INPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING
WOOL OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object to render the feeding of wool or
other fibrous materials to carding or other machines uniform or pro-

page_text: portional to the actual speed of the machine, and it comprises automatic
apparatus whereby the wool is weighed in separate quantities and
deposited at intervals upon the ordinary endless feed cloth which carries
it into the machine. The weighing is effected by a scale upon a lever
counterbalanced by an adjustable weight. As soon as the scale is so
full that it begins to descend a link connected to it is caught by a small
continuously revolving hook and makes the scale descend rapidly,
empty its contents on the feed cloth, and then return to its position
for receiving a further supply. The wool thus deposited on the feed
cloth may be distributed or have its thickness equalised by passing 1
under a roller or a reciprocating rake. The wool may be supplied to
the scale by any of the various kinds of feeding mechanism in use or
proposed for feeding wool from a heap or bulk, but the delivering
action of such mechanism must be stopped whenever the weighing scale
descends, to be restarted at intervals by a slowly moving catch or stud 1
actuated from the carding or other machine to which the apparatus is
applied.
In one modification the wool is directed into the scale by an inclined
shoot, and when the scale descends an arm on the lever moves a rod
connected to the shoot and tilts it over, so that the wool falls down it 2
back again into the box, from which it is taken until the shoot is tilted
back again.
In another modification the mechanism driving the endless feed cloth
or other apparatus which supplies the scale is thrown out of gear by the
tilting of the scale lever, this lover being connected by links, so as to act 2
on a clutch or so as to act on a fork, which shifts the driving belt from
a fast to a loose pulley.
The improved apparatus herein-after described may also be used
for supplying the wool to the weighing scale or directly to the machine.
In one modification a series of rollers with wire, card, or hooks on 3
their surfaces are arranged in a vertical, horizontal, or inclined line in a
box, into which the wool is put loosely, and being made to revolve all in
our direction they pick up and deliver the wool into a shoot leading to
the weighing scale or into the scale itself.
In another modification an endless apron with wire, card, or hooks 3
on its surface is arranged horizontally, or nearly so, at the top of a box
and picks up the wool on its under side, the box being made with a
movable bottom, which rises by the action of counterweights or

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Philip Charles Evans and Henry James Hogg
King in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 17th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PHILIP
CHARLES EVANS, Cloth Manufacturer, of Brimscombo Mills, in the
County of Gloucester, and HENRY JAMES HOGG KING, Engineer, of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Philip Charles Evans and Henry James
Hogg King, Hor special licenco that we, the said Philip Charles Evans
and Henry James Hogg King, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Philip Charles Evans and
Henry James Hogg King, our excoutors, 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, uso, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WOOL
OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO CARDING OR OTHER MACHINES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said Philip Oharles Evans and
Henry James Hogg King, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of tho said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal l'atent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Philip Charles Evans and Henry
James Hogg King, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to bo performed, to be particularly

page_text: described and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
Our said Invention has for its object to render the feeding of wool or
other fibrous materials to carding or other machines uniform or pro-
portional to the actual speed of the machine, and it comprises automatic
apparatus whereby the wool is weighed in separate quantities and
deposited at intervals upon the ordinary endless feed cloth which carries
it into the machine. The wool may be supplied to the weighing
apparatus by any of the various kinds of feeding mechanism in use or
proposed for feeding wool from a heap or bulk, but the delivering action
of such mechanism must be stopped as each charge of the weighing
apparatus is completed, to be restarted at intervals by a slowly moving
catch or stud actuated from the carding or other machine to which the
apparatus is applied.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended a
Sheet of explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and repre-
senting convenient modifications of our improved apparatus.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section as taken near one side of
the feed box 1, into which the wool is put. The wool is lifted and
delivered from this box by an endless cloth 2, with wire, card, or hooks
on its surface, this cloth being extended in an inclined position by
rollers 3, 4, at its upper and lower ends. The upper roller 3 may be
turned in any convenient way, as, for example, by an external pitch
wheel on its spindle driven by a chain from a wheel on the carding
machine. The wool is carried up and over the top end of the cloth 2,
any excess being kept back by means of an adjustable slide or plate 5
near the top, and it falls on an inclined board or plate 6, which delivers
it to the weighing apparatus. To insure its leaving the endless cloth 2,
it is acted upon by a beater 7, which revolves nearly in contact with
the cloth, and which is driven by a cord and pulleys from any con-
venient shaft of the carding machine. The weighing is effected by a
scale or pan 8, which is carried by arms or levers 9 on a transverse
horizontal spindle or shaft 10, the arms 9 being extended to receive
adjustable weights 11 for counterbalancing the scale and the quantity
of wool thought desirable for each charge. The spindle 10 is carried
by two or more brackets 12, bolted to an iron bar which is fixed across
the top of the opening from which the wool is discharged out of the

page_text: box 1. At the further end there is fixed on the spindle 10 a short
arm 14, to which there is jointed a pendent link 15, having a pin at
its lower end projecting horizontally. As soon as the scale 8 becomes
so full that it overbalances the weights 11 and begins to descend the
pin at the bottom of the link enters within a guide 16, and into tho
way of a revolving hook 17, which by acting on it makes the scale 8
descend rapidly, empty its contents on the feed cloth 18, and then
return to its position for receiving a further supply. The revolving
hook 17 is on a short spindle driven by means of a pulley on its outer
end, and carried by a bracket or arm 19, to which the guide 16 is
also fixed. On the near end of the spindle 10 there is another arm
or lever 20, which, when the scalo 8 descends, acts on a link 21 that
is jointed to the inclined board or shoot 0, down which the wool falls
into the scale. This board 6 is carried on horizontal journals at cach
side of the box 1, and the action of the lever 20 and link 21 causes
it to tilt over so as to close the opening, and the wool then coming
over falls down its inner side back again to the lower part of the box.
A weight 22 is fixed to the upper part of one end of the board 0
and serves to complete the tilting action in either direction as soon
as it is moved over beyond the middle point. The inclined board 6
is periodically tilted back again into the position for delivering wool
into the weighing scale 8 by means of a rod 23 jointed to a short
arm on one of the journals of the board, this rod being encountered
and pushed up by a stop 21 on a disc or wheel on the end of the
outer roller of the feed cloth 18. The number of charges of wool in
a given time are thus dependent on the actual speed of the carding
machine. The feed cloth 18 is carried and driven as in ordinary
carding machines, but provision is made for distributing the wool
upon it and equalising its thickness. This distributing mechanism
consists of a pair of rakes 25, 20, jointed to a frame 27, which rests
on rails at the sides, and which is made to reciprocate by means of
a pair of revolving cranks 28, to which it is connected by rods 29.
If found desirable the rakes 26 may be arranged to rise when moving
from the carding machine so as not to push back the wool, or they may
be hung loosely so as to swing away when moving back, being kept
vertical by stops when moving forwards. If preferred one or moro
rollers may be used instead of or in addition to the rakes, such roller
or rollers being placed near the feed cloth to equalise the thickness
of the wool passing under it. The main oylinder and some other parts

page_text: of the carding machine are indicated by red circles, so as to show the
relative positions of those parts and of our improved feeding apparatus.
Instead of the supply of wool to the scale 8 being stopped by the means
herein-before described the inclined delivery board 6 may be fixed,
and the movement of the endless hooked cloth 2 may be stopped
instead. Thus, a lever on the spindle 10 may be connected by links
or rods to a clutch through which the cloth is driven, and may put
such clutch out of gear when the scale 8 descends, or the desired effect
may be obtained by acting on a fork which shifts a driving belt from a
fast to a loose pulley.
The apparatus herein-before described for lifting the wool out of the
box 1, namely, the inclined endless cloth 2, is of a kind already in
use for feeding wool, and we therefore make no claim for it by itself.
Our Invention however comprises certain novel modifications of
apparatus suitable either for supplying the wool to our weighing
apparatus or for feeding it directly to the carding machine.
Ono modification is shown in vertical section in Figure 2 and
comprises a series of rollers 30, with wire, card, or hooks on their
surfaces, these rollers being arranged in a vertical or horizontal line, or
in an inclined line, as shown. The rollers are connected by toothed
wheels such as are indicated by red circles, or in any other, convenient
way so that they may be all driven in one direction, and they take up
the wool and transfer it from one to the other in an upward direction,
ultimately delivering it into the shoot 6 leading to the weighing
apparatus, or directly to the feed cloth 18.
Another modification is shown in vertical section in Figure 3, and
in it an endless cloth 31, with wire, card, or hooks on its surface, is
arranged horizontally or nearly so at the top of a box 32, and picks
up the wool on its under side, the box being made with a movable
bottom 33, which rises by the action of counterweights 34 (or otherwise) a
and keeps tho loose wool always up to the hooked cloth. A loose
chain 33 is hung to the movable bottom 33, and being gradually lifted
as the bottom rises compensates for the weight of wool removed. The
wool is delivered from the endless cloth 81, down a shoot 6, its removal
from the cloth being insured by a revolving beater 7. One or more ;
rollers with hooked surfaces may be substituted for the endless cloth 81.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we have to state that we do not

page_text: restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or delineated,
but that what we believe to be novel and original and claim as the
Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,-
1. The constructing of apparatus for feeding wool or other fibrous
materials to carding or other machines with appliances, substantially
such as are herein-before described, for weighing it in separate quantities,
and which appliances are periodically set in action by the carding or
other machine.
2. The arranging of a series of rollers with hooked surfaces and
revolving all in one direction for feciling wool or other fibrous materials,
substantially in the manner herein-before described.
3. The constructing of apparatus for feeding wool or other fibrous
materials with a movable bottom arranged to lift the wool up to a
feeding cloth or roller, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry James Hogg King, on behalf
of the said Philip Charles Evans and myself, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
20
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
H. J. H. KING. (L.S.)