IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS PAD DA FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Watson, of Thornton, near Bradford, in the
County of York, Overlooker, and Robert Dracup, of the same Place,
Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS
PAD DA
"
Sealed the 22nd August 1862, and dated the 25th February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Watson and
Robert Dracup at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 25th February 1862.
We, THOMAS WATSON, of Thornton, near Bradford, in the County of York,
Overlooker, and ROBERT DRACUP, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," to be as
follows:-
In apparatus for preparing and combing wool and other fibres, such fibres
are operated by teeth in bars or instruments to which a progressive motion is
given by the simultaneous movement of pairs of toothed wheels, but it some-
times happens that through such wheels being rigidly fixed to their shaft, and
some obstruction either in the fibre treated, or in the working of the mecha-
nism arising, breakage takes place. And the object of the Invention is to
remedy this evil by connecting such wheels to their shaft, so that whilst
uniformity of action may be secured, a yielding may take place when any

page_text: undue obstruction arises. For this purpose we connect the bosses of such
pair of wheels together by a bar or bars, or other suitable connecting means,
and apply a strap or collar to embrace the shaft, and we adjust the amount of
adhesion thereto by set screws, or other suitable means capable of adjustment
to the pressure ordinarily desired to be exerted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Watson and Robert Dracup in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 23rd August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, THOMAS
WATSON, of Thornton, near Bradford, in the County of York, Overlooker,
and ROBERT DRACUP, of the same Place, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Thomas Watson and Robert Dracup, Her special licence that we,
the said Thomas Watson and Robert Dracup, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Watson and Robert
Dracup, our 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 Chanuel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Watson and Robert
Dracup, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
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
bo 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 we, the said Thomas Watson and Robert Dracup,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
In apparatus for preparing and combing wool and other fibres, such fibres

page_text: are operated by teeth in bars, or instruments to which a progressive motion is
given by the simultaneous movement of pairs of toothed wheels, but it some-
times happens that through such wheels being rigidly fixed to their shaft, and
some obstruction either in the fibre treated, or in the working of the
mechanism arising, breakage takes place. And the object of the Invention is
to remedy this evil by connecting such wheels to their shaft, so that whilst
uniformity of action may be secured a yielding may take place when any
undue obstruction arises. For this purpose we connect the bosses of such
pair of wheels together by a bar or bars, or other suitable connecting means,
and apply a strap or collar to embrace the shaft, and we adjust the amount of
adhesion thereto by set screws, or other suitable means capable of adjustment
to the pressure ordinarily desired to be exerted.
But that the nature of the improvements and means which we adopt in
carrying the same into effect may be better understood, we will proceed to
describe the accompanying Drawing.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a plan, and Figure 2 an end view of part of apparatus such
as is employed in preparing and combing wool and other fibres by the use of
what are called gill combs.
a, a, shew what are called the gill bars, which are set with teeth or combs,
and are progressively moved by the action of the screws b, b, upon the ends of
such bars. These screws are formed on or affixed to axes c, c, which turn in
bearings d, d, carried by parts of the main framing e, e, and they have affixed
upon them the bevilled pinions f, f, and in order to the simultaneous motion
and uniform speed of the axes c, c, the teeth of these bevilled pinions f, f, are
taken into by the teeth of corresponding bevilled pinions g, g, upon the axis h.
But according to our Invention these wheels 9, 9, in place of being rigidly
affixed to their shaft h, are connected together by bars i, i, and these bars
are connected to the collar j, and the collar j is beld in position on the
shaft h by means of the cotter k, aided by the adjustable screw 1, in order
thereby to obtain an adjustable amount of adhesion to the axis or shaft h
adapted to ordinary working, but which will admit of the parts so connected
yielding without breaking them or other of the parts when undue obstruction
arises. Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, shew some of the parts separately on a
larger scale.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and means which
we adopt in carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangement of parts shewn

page_text: and described, as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of the improvements; but what we claim is, the adaptation of
means to the gearing wheels; operating bars of combs or gill teeth in
apparatus for preparing or combing: wool and other fibres, substantially as
explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Watson and Robert Dracup,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two.
THOMAS WATSON. (L.S.)
ROBERT DRACUP. (L.S.)