IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS; MATERIALS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Muir Hetherington, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS;
MATERIALS."
Sealed the 24th February 1860; and dated the 26th August 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Muir Hetherington
at the Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 26th August 1859.
I, JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER.
FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in combining a series of rollers and clearers.
to cylinders of carding engines with a series of "flats" of certain arrange-
ment or construction, they being hinged so as to be capable of being turned
over, in order to allow a brush or other clearing apparatus to pass over the
cards.
Secondly, my Invention consists in mounting the brush used for clearing
"flats" of the above description upon a joint, so that it may be turned
thereon, and by which arrangement the said flats may be extended towards
the rollers and clearers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Muir Hetherington in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th February 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN MUIR
HETHERINGTON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Muir Hetherington, Her especial licence that I, the
said John Muir Hetherington, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Muir Hetherington, 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, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition,
amongst others, that I, the said John Muir Hetherington, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Muir Hetherington, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and the accompanying Drawing, that is to say:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in combining a series of rollers and clearers
to cylinders of carding engines with a series of "flats" of certain arrange-
ment or construction, they being hinged so as to be capable of being turned
over, in order to allow a brush or other cleaning apparatus to pass over the cards.
Secondly, my Invention consists in mounting the brush, used for cleaning
"flats" of the above description, upon a joint, so that it may be turned
thereon, and by which arrangement the said flats may be extended towards
the rollers and clearers.
The machinery for turning over the "flats" does not constitute a part of

page_text: my present Invention; it may be of any suitable arrangement. I will,
however, in this my Specification point out a certain method of effecting that
and other operations, in order more clearly to explain my improvements.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents part of a carding engine
in side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken in, however, in more
than one line, the better to shew the more important mechanism. The line
of the main cylinder is shewn at a, that of a card roller at b, and of a clearer
at c, these parts being driven by any usual means. A series of flats is shewn
at d', d, d, d, d, mounted so as to be capable of turning upon hinge
joints e, e, and projecting from these flats are pins f. Upon the axis g of
the main cylinder is mounted loosely on each side of the machine an arm or
lever h, to one of which is jointed an end of a connecting rod i. The other
end of this rod is carried by a crank fixed upon a shaft k, to which a slow
rotatory motion is communicated from any convenient part of the machine.
To the upper end of the levers h are jointed at q arms q*, which carry a
circular brush m, mounted upon an axis n. Bearing against the arms h are
levers 7, mounted loosely upon the shaft g, and carrying weights at their other
ends, which weights are not seen in the Drawing. The axis n is furnished
with a pulley n, around which a band p passes, and from thence around a
pulley upon the axis of the main cylinder; while, therefore, the levers h
are caused to vibrate by the crank o, the brush m is caused to revolve by
means of the band p. The centres of motion e* of the flats are provided with
toothed segments, one of which is shewn at s, the pitch lines only of the others
being drawn. The segments are acted upon at periods, and when the flats
are turned over (as herein-after to be described) by a rack t formed upon an
arm, which is carried by one of the levers h. Upon the shaft k is a tappet u,
which, as it revolves, strikes against one end of a lever v, turning upon a
centre at w. The other end of this lever carries a driver a, weighted so as
to press against the teeth of a ratchet wheel y, mounted loosely upon the axis
of the main cylinder, and furnished with a detaining click or bolt z. This
ratchet wheel carries a series of adjustable inclined planes 1, which being
thus caused to revolve present themselves consecutively to a sliding bolt 2,
mounted upon one of the levers h, such operation taking place when the
said lever is being turned down into the position shewn by dots in Fig. 1;
but in order to allow the sliding bolt to pass the inclined planes 1 at its
upward vibratory movement with the lever h, its lower end is formed with a
hinged part 2*, so as to yield in one direction. The bolt 2 having been thus
caused to slide forward, is subsequently drawn back to the position shewn by
a spring 8. The outward end of the bolt 2 is formed with a curved

page_text: part 2**, which, when thrust forward, forms a continuation of lines 4, con-
stituting the boundaries of a recess formed in the lever h. The operation is
as follows: Supposing the levers h to be in the position shewn by dots in
Fig. 1, the shaft k on revolving will cause them to vibrate upward upon their
centre, and the pins f of the flats will be cleared by the bolt 2, it being now
drawn inward by the spring 3. Upon the crank o having arrived at the extent
of its throw, a stud 5 on the arm 7 will have arrived in contact with a
stationary part 6, so as to have caused the said arms to have turned upon
their centres, and allow the levers h to pass onward further than they could
have done (owing to the position of the rollers and cleaners) had the brush
been mounted directly thereon. A further revolution of the crank o will now
cause the arms to vibrate downwards, upon which the bolt 2 will arrive in
contact with the incline 1*, so as to be slidden outward; this movement will
bring the curved end 2**, coincident with the boundary of the recess 4, and
then arriving in contact with the pin f of the flat d¹, will cause it to pass into
the said recess, turning the flat upon its centre. A further motion of the
lever, still causing the pin to travel in the recess, will effect a complete turning
over of the flat, and the pin f will then allow the lever h to pass forward by
assuming a position coincident with the end 4* of the recess 4; by this time
the bolt 2 will have passed the incline 1*, and its spring will have drawn it
backward free from the other pins f during the further movement of the
levers h. During the operations above described, the arms q* being liberated
from the part 6, will be turned upon their centre by the weighted lever
until arrested by the set screw and stop 8, and as they travel onward with the
levers h will cause the brush m to pass over the now turned up flat d³, so as
to effect the required cleaning, the said brush being caused to revolve, as
before mentioned, by the strap and pulleys p, n*, r. The movements above
described will have brought the levers h and parts connected therewith into
the position shewn by dots, and a revolution of the tappet u will have turned
the ratchet wheel y through the space of one tooth, when similar operations
to those above described will take place; this time, however, the incline 1*
will have been moved beyond the range of the bolt 2, which will not therefore
be acted upon until it arrives in contact with the next incline 1**, but being
then brought into coincidence with the recess 4, will receive a pin f, and turn
a flat thereof over to be brushed, as before described in reference to the
previously turned flat. In the Drawing above referred to, however, it should'
be stated there are two flats less than the teeth of the ratchet wheel are
calculated for, the effect of which will simply be, that the levers will now
descend twice after having turned the last flat without any result, but after'

page_text: that the flat marked d' will be turned, then the flat d*, and so on, each
incline 1 turning over the whole set. The flats having been turned over, as
above described, are returned to their working position by the upward motion
of the rack t acting on the segments s. It will be perceived by the above
description that I am enabled to continue the flats further towards the rollers
and clearers than could be done were the brush mounted rigidly upon the
lever h or other similar apparatus, for by my arrangement the lever h is
allowed to continue its motion after the brush is arrested, so as to enable it
to gain a position for turning over the flat 1, which is situate close to the
rollers and clearers. In order to free the brush from any material adhering
thereto the following contrivance is adopted :-Upon the framework of the
machine is mounted a bell-crank lever q, q*, turning upon a centre 10; the
end 9th of this lever is furnished with a slot, within which is a pin 11, extending
from an arm 12, fixed upon a shaft 13. This shaft carries a comb 14, which
passes through a bar 15, mounted within a groove 16, formed eccentrically
to the shaft 13. Upon the lever h, turning downwards into the position shewn
by dots in Fig. 1, a pin 17 arrives in contact with the lever 9, so as to cause
it to turn upon its centre 10, and, by acting against the pin 11, bring the
comb 14 into the position shewn, its teeth extending into the brush m, which
will be cleaned by the revolution thereof, as above described. Upon the
lever h returning by its upward motion, the lever 9 will be liberated by the
pin 17, and will be turned back upon its centre by the weight 18, which
motion will draw the teeth through the bar 15, by causing the said bar to
travel in the eccentric groove 16, and thus the teeth of the comb will be
deprived of any extraneous matter which may have adhered to them. I have
above stated that the shaft k may be driven by any convenient arrangement
of gearing. I will, however describe a method which may be adopted in
order to prevent breakage should any portion of the described machinery
connected with the "flats" became deranged. In Fig. 3, 20 represents a
shaft, supposed to drive the shaft k, Fig. 1, by bevil wheels, and 21 is a worm
wheel loose thereon, driven by a worm wheel 22 upon the axis of the doffer.
Upon the shaft 20 is keyed fast a cone 23, situate within a recess formed in
the worm wheel 21, the shafts 20 and k are, therefore, driven by the friction
of the conical surfaces, which will give way to any unusual obstruction, the
amount of friction may be regulated by a nut 24.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood
that I claim, as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters
Patent,

page_text: Firstly, the combination of rollers and clearers, or rollers only, with
"flats," which are hinged, so as to be capable of being turned over upon
centres.
Secondly, mounting the brush, for cleaning such flats as aforesaid, upon a
joint, so that it may be turned thereon.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Muir Hetherington, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and 'sixty.
JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON. (L.S.)