IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SHAPING THE DOMY DRYS OF BINDING AND CONTRACTING COMBS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Robinson, in the Employ of Howard and
Bullough, Globe Works, Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SHAPING THE
DOMY DRYS OF BINDING AND CONTRACTING COMBS"
Sealed the 14th July 1865, and dated the 21st January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Robinson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
January 1865.
I, MATTHEW ROBINSON, in the Employ of Howard and Bullough, Globe
Works, Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SHAPING
THE ELASTIC DENTS OF EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING COMBS," to be as follows:-
The wire is placed on the ordinary reel, but instead of bending or shaping
it and nipping by hand, I cause those operations to be performed by means
of the following machinery or apparatus:-The wire passes from the reel to
a bed or table on which there is a frame having at the top a slide carrying
two bowls, and at one side two vertical bearings and boxes. The slide is
connected by a connecting rod to a crank fixed to a second shaft turned by
gearing from the driving shaft of the machine, and in the vertical bearings
there are spindles having at the top and bottom arms or levers, and each
spindle is connected to one end of a spring. The top arms are acted upon
alternately by the bowls on the slide and move them, and also the bottom.

page_text: arms or levers an are of a circle one way, and the springs move them back
to their original positions. The bottom arms or levers are employed for
bending or shaping the dents, and the lengths of the arcs they describe
correspond with the required length of the dents. The arms are moved
alternately, one arm forming the bends at one end of the dents and the
other arm the bends at the other end, and as the formation and operations of
both arms are alike a description of one will suffice for both. At the outer
extremity of each bottom.arm there is a pin or projection, and when the arm
has been turned by means of the top arm and slide the pin seizes the wire
and bends it, and then places it upon another pin or a lever having an incline,
which pin holds the bend until the next bend is to be made on that side, at
which time a projection on the aforesaid bottom arm depresses the incline and
releases the pin from the bend for allowing it to be moved onwards to enable
the succeeding bend to be held by the pin, and in order that the pin on the
arm may escape the pin on the inclined lever the said arm is jointed into two
parts, so that it may yield and become sufficiently short to escape the pin on
the inclined lever when it is returning to its backward position to wait until
the other arm has formed the bend at the other end of the dent, and after-
wards return to make a fresh bend on the first-mentioned side; and in order
that each bottom arm may be lengthened for making the bend, one of the
parts of the arm comes in contact with a projection fixed to the frame, and
remains so until the bend is made; and for enabling the bends to be formed
with exactness the finished dents are held by springs on an upper plate fixed
to the table, and between the reel and the table there is a roller or
weight for
maintaining the proper tension of the wire. The bends at each end of the
dents are nipped by spring plyers placed on a slide, which is moved to and fro
by an eccentric on the before-mentioned second shaft of the machine, so that
the plyers may arrive at the opposite bends alternately, and be pressed by
bowls on another slide worked by another eccentric; the instant the bowls
are removed from the plyers the latter are opened by their springs so as to
release the dents and allow them to be drawn gradually forwards and then
wound on a spindle at a uniform surface speed by the surface motion of a
roller turned by toothed or worm gearing from the first or second shafts of
the machine. Or, the dents inay slide down a trough placed to receive them
as they are formed, and by connecting toothed or worm gearing with the
second shaft, and employing a dial plate and finger, the number of 'dents formed
in the machine can be indicated.
..:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Matthew Robinson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHEW
ROBINSON, in the Employ of Howard and Bullough, Globe Works, Accrington,
in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Matthew Robinson, Her special license that I, the said Matthew
Robinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Matthew Robinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY.
OR APPARATUS FOR SHAPING THE ELASTIC DENTS OF EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING
Сомва," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Matthew
Robinson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said Matthew Robinson, 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,
that is to say -
.
The wire is placed on the ordinary reel, but instead of bending or shaping
it, and nipping by hand, I cause those operations to be performed by means
of the following machinery or apparatus:-The wire passes from the reel to a
bed or table, on which there is a frame having at the top a slide carrying two
bowls, and at one side two vertical bearings and boxes. The slide is con-
nected by a connecting rod to a crank fixed to a second shaft, turned by
gearing from the driving shaft of the machine, and in the vertical bearings
there are spindles having at the top and bottom arms or levers, and each
spindle is connected to one end of a spring, the other end of which is held to
:

page_text: its corresponding box. The top arms are acted upon alternately by the bowls
on the slide, and move them and also the bottom arms or levers an are of a
circle one way, and the springs move them back to their original positions.
The bottom arms or levers are employed for bending or shaping the dents,
and the lengths of the arcs they describe correspond with the required length
of the dents. The arms are moved alternately, one arm forming the bends at
one end of the dents, and the other arm the bends at the other end, and as
the formation and operation of both arms are alike a description of one will
suffice for both. At the outer extremity of each bottom arm there is a pin
and projection, and when the arm is being turned by means of the top arm
and slide, the pin seizes the wire and bends it, and then the wire passes
behind a pin on a lever having an incline which was depressed by the pro-
jection on the arm. This pin holds. the bend until the next bend is nearly
made on that side, at which time the projection on the aforesaid bottom arm
again depresses the incline and releases the pin from the bend for allowing it
to be moved onwards, to enable the succeeding bend to be held by the pin,
and in order that the pin on the arm may escape the pin on the inclined
lever, the said arm is jointed into two parts, so that it may contract and
become sufficiently short to pass by the pin on the inclined lever when it is
returning to its backward position to wait until the other arm has formed the
bend at the other end of the dent, and afterwards return to make a fresh
bend on the first-mentioned side; and in order that each bottom arm may be
straightened for making the bend, one of the parts of the arm comes in
contact with a projection fixed to the frame, and the arm remains straightened
until the bend is made; and for enabling the bends to be formed with
exactness, the finished dents are prevented from rising as they pass onwards
by a spring plate above the table. The bends at each end of the dents are
nipped by nippers placed on a slide, which is moved to and fro by an eccentric
on the before-mentioned second shaft of the machine, so that the nippers may
arrive at the opposite bends alternately, and be pressed by bowls on another
slide worked by another eccentric. The instant the bowls are removed from
the nippers the latter move back, so as to release the dents, and allow them
to be drawn gradually forwards, and then wound' on a spindle at a uniform
surface speed by the surface motion of a roller turned by toothed or worm
gearing from the first or second shafts of the machine.
These improvements will be clearly understood by the following detailed
description thereof, reference being had to the figures and letters on the
accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation,
Fig. 2 a plan, and Figs. 3 and 4 side elevations of my improved machinery

page_text: for shaping the elastic dents of expanding and contracting combs, drawn to a
reduced scale, and Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are enlarged views of some of
the parts.
.
1
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, a represents the framework of the machine; b, the
driving shaft; c, d, the fast and loose pulleys; and e, the ordinary reel con-
taining the the wire of which the combs are to be made. The said framework;
a is fixed on a bench or on standards, or on a framework of wood or metal, as
may be desired, and the wire marked ƒ passes from the reel to the guide g,
which prevents it from twisting or buckling, and then to a table h fixed to, the
framework a, on which table there is a small frame i, having at the top a
slide k, carrying two bowls l, m, and at one side two vertical bearings and;
boxes n, o.. The slide k is connected by the connecting rod p to the crank q,
bolted to the plate wheel r fixed to the second shafts carrying the toothed.
wheel gearing into the pinion u on the driving shaft b. In the vertical,
bearings there are spindles v, w, encircled by spiral springs contained in
the boxes, one end of each spring being connected to the spindle, and the
other end to the box. On the upper ends of the spindles are fixed arms or
levers x, y, and on their lower ends levers A, B, to which are jointed
arms a, b, having at their outer extremities pins c', d', and projections e¹, f¹,
as shown enlarged in the top views, Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, and in the side view,
Fig. 9. On studs fixed to the table h there are two levers g', h', having at
one end weights i, j, and. at the other end plates k', 1', pins m', n¹, inclines
o, pl, and upright ends q, r. At the side of the table h, and at the same
level there is another table s', below which there are two slides t', u', having
slots enclosing the tops of the levers v³, w¹, Figs. 1, 2, and 4, attached to
shafts, on the outer ends of which are fixed other levers a¹, y', connected by
the rods a², 62, to the eccentrics c, d. To the slide t¹ are fixed studs, which
pass through slots in the table s¹, and carry nipping levers o, f, and to the
slide u¹ are fixed studs which pass through slots in the same table s¹, and
carry bowls g, h, and above the table at any required distance according to the
width or depth of the comb there is a plate and spring plate 1 for keeping.
the dents steady as they move onwards. When the driving strap is on the
fast pulley the pinion ụ turns the wheel t, shaft b, plate wheel r, and crank q,
thereby giving by means of the connecting rod p to-and-fro motion to the slide k
and bowls l, m, which act alternately on the upper arms x, y, and move them,
and also the lower levers A, B, and arms a', 6', arcs of a circle, and the spiral
springs in the boxes n, o, move them back to their original positions. The lower
levers and arms are employed for bending or shaping the wire to form the dents
of the comb and the lengths of the ares; their extremities describe correspond

page_text: with the required lengths of the dents, the said levers and arms being moved
alternately in opposite directions; one set employed for forming the bends at
one end of the dents, and the other set the bends at the other end of the
dents. The operation of one of the lower levers and arms is as follows, but it
must be understood that both levers and arms are exactly alike in construction
and operation. When the lower lever and arm A, a', are turned inwards in
the direction of the arrows, Figs. 5 and 6, the pin c¹ on the arm a¹ seizes the
wire f and bends it, and as the arm proceeds its under end comes in contact
with the incline p¹ and presses it down, and with it the plate and pin n
beyond which the pin c' and wire f pass, and when the extreme end of the
arm has passed the incline the weight j raises the incline and plate, and
places the pin n¹ before the pin c¹, as shown in Fig. 7, which pin n¹ holds the
wire when the pin c¹ on the arm is moving away from the said pin n¹. As the
driving shaft 6 revolves the movement of the slide k is reversed, the bowl
leaving the upper arm x and lower lever and arm A, a¹, free to be turned
back by the spring in the box n, and shortly after the said lower lever and
arm commence their return movement the pin c¹ comes in contact with the
pin n¹, the resistance of which causes the arm to turn at its joint, so that the
pin c¹ passes away from the pin n', and the projection e¹ from the upright
end of the incline pl, and when the lever and arm are arriving at their
original starting positions, the arm presses against the projection m², Fig. 5,
fixed to the frame i, and straightens the lever and arm, which then wait until
they have again to move forwards to make another bend, and it will be seen
that there is another projection n³ on the other side of the frame i for
straightening the lever and arm B, 6. As the slide k continues to move the
bowl m turns the upper arm y and lower lever and arm B, 6¹, and operations
precisely similar to those just described take place, forming the other end
of the dent. During the foregoing movements the two slides t', u', are
moving to and fro by means of the eccentrics c, d, and as the wire after its
seizure by either pin c', d', is being carried forward to be held by its corre-
sponding pin on one of the plates k, l, the nipping lever on the same side is
moved between the ends of the dents on that side, and just before or at the
same instant that the pin on the arm arrives at its most forward position the
bowl on that side acts upon the arm of the nipper on that side, and forces the
nipping end towards the pin on the arm of the lever, the effect of which is
that as the nipper and pin approach each other, or the pin approaches the
nipper, the two parts of the wire constituting that end of the dent are squeezed
closely together in a very effectual manner. The bowl g³ or h² now moves
away from the-nipper, and the nipper, itself recedes from the dents at that end

page_text: worked by a catch or
and similar operations take place at the other end of the dents when the bend
last made has to be squeezed. The dents as they are formed pass onwards
between the table s' and spring plate &, and are connected to the taking-up
drum 3, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, to which at the same time is attached an end of
the cord o from the bobbin p², the said cord winding on with the comb and
preventing any entanglement of the dents. The drum first, and then the comb
as it is wound on the drum, rests on the discs 9, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the shafts
of which carry toothed wheels r² both gearing into an intermediate wheel s³,
and to one of the shafts is fixed the worm wheel gearing into the worm u³,
on the shaft of which there is a ratchet wheel
ratchet w jointed to the lever y', and as the discs are continuously revolving
at the same speed their surfaces wind on the comb as it increases in diameter
on the drum at a uniform speed. It is evident that instead of winding the
comb on a drum the dents may slide down a trough placed to receive them as
they are formed, and also that by connecting toothed or worm gearing with
the second shaft s driven from the driving shaft b, and employing a dial plate
and finger, the number of dents formed in the machine can be indicated. For
preventing the reel e containing the wire from overrunning, I employ a break
strap on the shaft of the reel, or I place between the reel and the table a
roller or weight, or two rollers and weight, for maintaining the proper tension
of the wire, and when desired I cause the reel to work horizontally on a
vertical shaft or stud.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood.
that I claim the improved machinery or apparatus for shaping the elastic
dents of expanding and contracting combs, as all such improvements are
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings,
or any modification thereof for the same purpose.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Robinson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
MATTHEW ROBINSON. (L.S.)