Improvements in Electrically Driven Wool Shearing or Hair Clipping Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st Jan., 1896-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrically Driven Wool Shearing or Hair
Clipping Machines.
We, HARRY WILLIAM CHARLES Cox, of 10 Cursitor Street, London, W.C.,
Electrical Engineer, and GERSHON BOWMAR, of 10 Cursitor Street, London, W.C.,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to portable wool shearing or hair clipping machines,
electrically driven, and has for its object the construction of an apparatus adapted to
the grasp of the hand of the operator, of convenient form for the shearing of the wool
of sheep or the clipping of other animal hair, which is self-contained as regards the
driving mechanism and requires to be connected only to an electrical generator or
batteries by a flexible double wire or wires, and which is protected as regards its
operative parts from fouling with wool, hair, or dust, and shall be effective and
simple in action and construction.
To carry our invention into effect, we apply a small electric motor, such as are
now well known, but preferably a three polar motor to prevent dead points in any
part of the revolution, to the rear of a case handle containing the operative parts
of the shearing or clipping mechanism and well adapted for the grasp of the
operator's hand.
We find it advantageous to make the plane of the shearing knives at an obtuse
angle with the axis of the case-handle, so as to follow more easily the contour of the
body of the sheep or other animal.
The aforesaid electric motor attached to the case handle and protected by a
casing is provided by binding screws for the attachment of flexible insulated wires
from the batteries or generator, which wires may be twisted together to form a
single flexible connection.
We utilize the rotation of the said electric motor in a simple manner either direct
or through power gearing to produce the reciprocating motion of the movable knife
over the face of the fixed knife.
To effect this, the rotation of the armature of the motor is in a plane at right
angles to the bandle of the clipper, and the driving spindle of the motor or its
adjoining counter shaft, is in the axis of the handle. An eccentric cam or
equivalent device, on the rotary spindle rotates between the forked end of the
rocking knife, the arms of the forks being provided with rollers upon which the
driving cam bears. The rocking knife is pivoted upon the handle of the clipper, 80
that the motion of the rotating cam upon the fork of the rocking knife produces
the required reciprocation of the sliding knife upon the fixed knife to shear the
wool or hair.
The upward thrust of the sliding knife may be taken upon ball or roller bearings
in the case about it, and a shield may be added to the haft of the knife, where it
passes through a slot in the case, to close the said slot and prevent wool and dust
from entering the operative parts.
Similarly, the whole of the operative parts and motor are enclosed in a dust
and wool proot case, forming a suitable handle for the grasp of the operator, which
case is provided with removable parts for the inspection of and access to the
operative mechanism.
To produce the necessary pressure of the upper sliding knife upon the fixed one,

page_text: we may carry the attachment of the spring for that purpose back into the case
handle, to take any pressure off the pivots of the rocking knife, and we may make
the inner end of the spring twisted at right angles to that end pressing upon the
knife in one or more pieces so that the spring will follow the rocking movement of
the knife, whilst securely attached at its inner end, by the transverse bending of the
inner heel of the spring, like a pendulum spring.attachment.
Dated this 22nd day of April 1895.
FELL & WILDING,
1 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Electrically Driven Wool Shearing or Hair
Clipping Machines.
We, HARRY WILLIAM CHARLES Cox, of 10 Cursitor Street, London, W.C
Electrical Engineer, and GERSHON BOWMAR, of 10 Cursitor Street, London, W.C
Engineer, 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 :-
Our invention relates to portable wool shearing or hair clipping machines
electrically driven, and has for its object the construction of an apparatus adapted to
the grasp of the hand of the operator, of convenient form for the shearing of the wool
of sheep, or the clipping of other animal hair, which is self contained as regards the
driving mechanism, and requires to be connected only to an electrical generator or
battery by a flexible double wire or wires, and which is protected as regards its
operative parts from fouling with wool, hair, or dust, and shall be effective and
simple in action and construction.
In order that our invention may be the better understood we will now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the accompanying drawings, reference being bad
to the letters and figures marked thereon. Like letters refer to like parts in the
various figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of one form of our improved machine.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a sectional end view of the same.
Figures 4 and 5 are detail views of a ball bearing device for keeping the knife or
clipping mechanism in position to maintain full cutting efficiency.
Figure 6 is a view of the motor fitted with power gearing to the clipper.
To carry our invention into effect we apply a small electric motor A (such as
are well known, but preferably of the three polar type to prevent dead points in
any part of the revolution) to the rear of a case handle B containing the operative
parts of the shearing or clipping mechanism C, which may be of the usual form or
may be modified as shown in Figures 4 and 5 as hereinafter more fully described.
The case B is made in the centre portion of such a form as to be readily
adapted for the grasp of the hand.
We find it advantageous to make the plane of the shearing knives or mechanism C
at an obtuse angle with the axis of the case handle B, so as to follow more easily the
contour of the body of the sheep or other animal.
The case with its closing plate O entirely covers and protects the electro
motor A ficm dust and other matter.
Binding screws are provided for the
attachment of flexible insulated wires from the batteries or generator, which wires
may be twisted together to form a single flexible connection. We utilize the
rotation of the said electro motor in a simple manner either direct or through
power gearing to produce the reciprocating motion of the movable knife a over the
face of the fixed knife a' of the clipping mechanism C..

page_text: To effect this, the rotation of the armature of the motor A is about the
longitudinal axis of the handle case B of the clipper, and as shown in Figures 1.
and 2, the driving spindle E of the motor is arranged longitudinally within the
handle case B; at the outer end of the spindle E is mounted an eccentric For:
other similar device, which is adapted to operate upon and between the forked
ends G of the knife bar H, so as to oscillate the upper knife a of the clipping.
mechanism. The arms of the fork G are provided with rollers J upon which the
driving eccentric or cam F bears, so that the operation can be effected with little
loss from friction. The rocking knife bar His pivotted upon the handle case B
of the clipper, so that the motion of the rotating eccentric F upon the forked.
ends G of the knife a produces the required reciprocation of the said knife a upon
the fixed knife a¹ to shear the wool or hair. The upper knife a is attached to the
bar H in the usual way by means of pins..
To produce the necessary pressure of the upper sliding knife a upon the fixed.
knife a we arrange a spring K resting upon the knife a and we provide an
adjusting screw L.on the bar H to force the spring down and put pressure on the
knife a, forcing it against the knife a' as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
We may however produce this effect by means of ball or roller bearings as
shown in Figures 4 and 5; upon the upper face of the knife a, we provide a
ball race M and above this said ball race M we provide a second ball race M¹
inverted.
A series of balls N are placed in the said ball race and means are provided for
supporting the upper ball race M' upon the casing B so as to permit of adjustment.
in a vertical direction.
This may be effected by adjustment screws O which are adapted to force the
upper ball race upon the lower one and thus keep the rocking and fixed.
knives a a¹ in contact with one another, or we may use spring pressure upon the
upper ball race M' with or without adjusting screws. There is sufficient spring
in the bar H to permit of the adjustment of the knives on one another.
At the front end of the case B a slot is made to permit the movement of the
rocking knife a; to prevent the admission of wool, dust, or dirt within the
casing B, we provide a shield O upon the knife bar H which is adapted to slide
in close proximity to the end of casing in such a way as to form a perfectly
closed case.
A switch or press contact may be placed upon the case B in such a position as to
be readily accessible for operation by the hand holding the clipper.
The casing is so made that a part or the whole can be removed from the
mechanism to permit of inspection, lubrication and repairs to the mechanism..
This may be carried out by making the upper part of casing above the clipping
mechanism detachable from the case B, and also by forming a joint in the casing
at P so that the motor A and spindle can be removed from the case.
It may in some cases be desirable to drive the clipping mechanism through a
power gearing from the motor, this we show in Figure 6, where it will be seen that
cog gearing R is inserted between the motor shaft and spindle of the clipping
mechanism C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we are aware that electrically
driven bair or wool clipping devices have been used, but as far as our knowledge
goes, without practical success and we do not claim broadly an electrically driven.
clipping device but we declare that what we claim is :-
1st. An electrically driven sheep shearer having arranged in combination an
electro motor with rotary armature revolving about the longitudinal axis of the
handle and fixed at the rear of said handle so as to better adapt the instrument to
be held conveniently, and with the driving shaft in the axis of said handle, a dust
and hair proof casing closed with a movable plate forming said handle, and
enclosing all operative parts, except knives, and a cam on said shaft operating the

page_text: pivotted rocking knife through a fork furnished with antifriction rollers or equivalent
driving device, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2nd. In an electrically driven sheep shearer in combination with the casing a
covering plate attached to the reciprocating knife to close the slot in the casing in
which the rocking knife works, the whole being dust and wool proof, substantially
as described.
3rd. In an electrically driven sheep shearer, the combination with the rocking
knife, electro motor and driving gear of an antifriction bearing box, provided with
balls or rollers travelling in a circular slot, the said box being mounted in the
casing above the said rocking knife and adjusted; substantially as described.
Dated this 21st day of January 1896.
FELL & WILDING,
1 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.