IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathaniel Topp, Alfred Topp, and Eugene
Nicholson, of Farnworth, in the County of Lancaster; for the In-
vention of IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES:"
Sealed the 23rd July 1875, and dated the 25th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathaniel Topp, Alfred
Topp, and Eugene Nicholson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 25tli January 1875:
WC, NATHANIEL TOPP, ALFRED TOPP, and EUGENE NICHOLSON, of
Farnworth, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," to be as
follow's
This Invention consists in an iniproved self-acting stopping motion for
stopping the revolving motion of the doffer and also the feed rollers
wlien a sliver breaks between the callender rollers and the ordinary
coiler.
We cause the sliver in its passage from the callender rollers to pass
under a spoon or detector forming one arm of a double lever, the other
arm of which is jointed to a horizontal rod, the outer end of which

page_text: passes through a slot in a vertical bar in connection with the ordinary
apparatus used for stopping the doffer and feed rollers by hand, and the
extreme end of the rod can be acted upon by a tappet fixed to the shaft
of the bottom callender roller when there is a breakage of the sliver.
When there is no breakage the spoon or detector is held up by the sliver
in its highest position, but when there is a breakage the spoon falls, and
the arm in connection with it moves the end of the horizontal rod in the
way of the tappet, which in its revolution lifts the vertical bar in order
to release the catch of the ordinary stopping apparatus and stop the
motion of the doffer and feed rollers.
When motion is given to the doffer and rollers it is necessary to keep
the end of the horizontal rod out of the way of the tappet until the
sliver becomes sufficiently tight to keep back the end without assistance,
and for this purpose we form under the rod a catch or projection, and
place on the vertical bar a spring and hinged plate, the spring pressing
the plate against the catch, thereby keeping the end of the rod free.from
the tappet, but when the sliver is strong enough to keep back the rod
the plate falls away from the catch, and all the parts are ready to cause
a stoppage when the sliver again breaks.
It will be seen that the main feature of this Invention consists in
causing the sliver to hold up a spoon or detector when there is no
breakage in order to prevent the self-acting stopping motion to have any
action on the ordinary stopping apparatus, and it will be casily under-
stood that various simple modifications or contrivances may be employed
for enabling the spoon to raise the vertical bar and cause the required
stoppage when the sliver breaks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said Nathaniel Topp, Alfred Topp, and Eugene Nicholson
in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 24th July 1875.
⠀ TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, NATHANIEL
TOPP, ALFRED TOPP, and EUGENE NICHOLSON, of Farnworth, in the
County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the

page_text: thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc.
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Nathaniol Topp, Alfred Topp,
and Eugene Nicholson, Her special license that we, the said Nathaniel
Topp, Alfred Topp, and Eugene Nicholson, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Nathaniel Topp, Alfred
Topp, and Eugene Nicholson, 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 Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Nathaniel Topp, Alfred
Topp, and Eugene Nicholson, our exccutors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said Nathaniel Topp, Alfred Topp,
and Eugene Nicholson, do hereby declare the nature of our said In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par.
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
that is to say:-
This Invention consists in an improved self-acting stopping motion
for stopping the revolving motion of the doffer and also the feed rollers
when a sliver breaks between the callender rollers and the ordinary
coiler.
We cause the sliver in its passage from the callender rollers to pass
under a spoon or detector forming one arm of a double lever, the other
arm of which is jointed to a horizontal rod, having its outer end passing
through a slot in a vertical bar in connection with the ordinary apparatus
used for stopping the doffer by hand, and the extreme end of the rod
can be acted upon when there is a breakage of the sliver by a tappet
fixed to the shaft of the bottom callender roller. When there is no
breakage the spoon or detector is held up by the sliver in its highest
position, but when there is a breakage the spoon falls, and the end of

page_text: t
'
*
the horizontal rod is placed in the way of the tappet, which lifts the
vertical rod and stops the motion of the doffer and feed rollers.
When the machine is set on it is necessary to keep the end of the rod
out of the way of the tappet until the sliver becomes sufficiently tight
to keep back the end, and for this purpose we form under the rod a
catch or projection, and place on the vertical bar a spring and plate, the
spring pressing the plate against the catch, thereby keeping the end of
the rod free from the tappet, but when the sliver is strong enough to
keep back the rod the plate falls away from the catch, and all the parts
are ready to cause a stoppage when the sliver again breaks.
:
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the
figures and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which
Figs. 1 and 2 are front and side views, representing our improved
stopping motion for stopping the revolutions of the doffer and feed-
rollers when a sliver breaks between the callender rollers and the 1
ordinary coiler, and Figs. 3 and 4 are detached views of parts of the
same.
a represents parts of the framework of the engine; b, the doffer; c, the
_shaft of the bottom callender; roller; d, the coiler; e, the sliver;
f, g, h, the gearing and pully for giving revolving motion to the doffer;
i, k, the gearing for giving motion to tlic bottom callender shaft; and 1,
the ordinary motion for stopping the revolving motion of the doffer and
feed rollers and for setting them on.
8
In Figs. 1 and 2 the sliver e is unbroken, and as it passes from the
callender rollers to the coiler holds up the curved arm o of the two-armed 2
lever o, p, balanced by the arm and weight 2, but in Figs. 3 and 4 the
sliver is broken. The arm p is jointed to one end of the horizontal rod r,
the other end of which passes through a slot in the vertical bar s fixed
at the bottom to the shaft in connection with the ordinary hand
stopping motion, and on the shaft c is fixed the tappet u. When the 3
sliver is not broken the curved arm is held up, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2,
and the rod cannot be acted upon by the tappet, but when the sliver is
broken, as in Fig. 3, the curved arm o falls and pushes forward the arm p,
so that the outer end of the rod is placed within reach of the tappet u,
which in its revolution slightly raises the bars and shaft t, so as to 3
release the catch of the ordinary hand stopping motion to allow the
lever to descend and place the pinion g out of gear with the toothed
g"

page_text: wheelf fixed to the doffer shaft, as shewn in Fig. 4. When the sliver
is pieced up and placed under the curved arm o, revolving motion is
again given to the doffer and feed rollers by pushing down the handle m
and putting the pinion g into gear with the wheelf in the usual
way, and for keeping the end of the rod r out of the reach of the
tappet, until the sliver itself is capable of doing it, a catch v fixed on
the rod is kept back by the plate io and spring x, the plate falling away
from the catch when the sliver has sufficient tension to keep up the
curved arm o in its proper working position, and at each setting on the
plate w is put in front of the catch to keep the rod out of the way of the
tappet.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention,
we desire it to be understood that in carding engines we claim, the.
improved self-acting stopping motion for stopping the revolving motion
of the doffer and also the feed rollers when a sliver breaks between
the callender rollers and the ordinary coiler, or any mere modifications
thereof.
In witness whercof, I, the said Alfred Topp, for and on behalf
of myself and the said Nathaniel Topp and Eugene Nicholson,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-five.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by.
'tho within-named Alfred Topp in
the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
ALFRED TOPP. (L.S.)
Manchester.