IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES." CARDING
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hardman, of Ramsbottom, and George
Hardman, of Newchurch, both in the County of Lancaster,
Cotton Spinners, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ENGINES."
CARDING
Sealed the 1st February 1870, and dated the 13th November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hardman
and George Hardman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 13th November 1869.
We, RICHARD HARDMAN, of Ramsbottom, and GEORGE HARDMAN, of
Newchurch, both in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinners, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING
ENGINES," to be as follows:-
Our improvements apply principally to carding engines employed for
carding cotton waste, or Surat or other cotton of a short staple, and
consist, firstly, in placing the draw box lower than the centre of the

page_text: doffing cylinder in such engines, and in the employment of what we call
a" conductor" between the doffing cylinder and the draw box to support
the fleece and conduct it downwards in an inclined direction from the
doffing comb to the said draw box, whereby the fleece is supported and
held together and prevented from opening or becoming broken on its
passage to the draw box, as frequently occurs when the fleece of cotton
of short fibre is passing in the usual manner unsupported from the doffer
to the draw box, which is ordinarily placed either on a level with or above
the level of the centre of the doffing cylinder.
Our said "conductor " is formed of a picce of sheet metal or other
suitable material, the upper edge of which is about the width of the
doffing cylinder, and is placed a short distance therefrom so as to catch
the sliver or flecce as soon as it leaves the doffer. It is placed in an
inclined position and its lower end comes near to the funnel or trumpet
which conducts the sliver to the draw box, the edges of the "conductor"
being gradually turned over from each side so as to narrow or gradually
reduce the width of the same and form a kind of flattened funnel shaped
guide or "conductor" for the ficece to pass along to the draw box,
which as before stated we place much lower than ordinarily, in in order
to assist the delivery of the web or fleece..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Hardman and George Hardman in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
HARDMAN of Ramsbottom, and GEORGE HARDMAN, of Newchurch, both
in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinners, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-.
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Richard Hardman and George Hardman, Her
special license that we, the said Richard Hardman and George Hardman,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Richard Hardman and George Hardman, our executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all tinies 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 Richard Hardman and
George Hardman, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or one of our, 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 Offico within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Hardman, on behalf
of myself and George Hardman, 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
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
.
Our improvements apply principally to carding engines employed for
carding cotton waste, or Surat or other cotton of a short staple, but are
also applicable to carding wool, worsted, or other materials, and consist,
firstly, in placing the draw box lower than the centre of the doffing.
cylinder in such engines, and in the employment of what we call a
"conductor" between the doffing cylinder and the draw box to support
the fleece and conduct it downwards in an inclined direction from the
doffing comb to the said draw box, whereby the flecce is supported and
held together and prevented from opening or becoming broken on its
passage to the draw box, as frequently occurs when the fleece of cotton of
short fibre is passing in the usual manner unsupported from the doffer
to the draw box, which is ordinarily placed either on a level with or
above the level of the centre of the doffing cylinder.
Our said "conductor is formed of a piece of sheet metal or other
suitable material, the upper edge of which is about the width of the
doffing cylinder, and is placed a short distance therefrom, so as to catch
the sliver, or fleece as soon as it leaves the doffer. It is placed in an
inclined position and its lower end comes near to the funnel or trumpet
which conducts the sliver to the draw box, or it may be made so that its.

page_text: lower part acts instead of the trumpet, the edges of the ".conductor "
being gradually turned over from each side so as to narrow or gradually
reduce the width of the same and form a kind of flattened funnel shaped
guide or "conductor" for the fleece to pass along to the draw box, which
as before stated we place much lower than ordinarily, in order to assist
the delivery of the web or fleece.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Carding Engines" we will now proceed to describe more in
detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be clearly
understood we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative
thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof.
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1, is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a section
of the doffing end of a carding engine with our Invention shown as
applied thereto.
a, a, is the doffing cylinder; b, b, the doffing comb; and c, c, the
drawing rollers. The latter (as will be seen on referring to Fig. 2) aro
placed considerably lower than the centre of the doffing cylinder a, a,
instead of being placed as usual opposite to or slightly above the same,
the object of this being to facilitate the passage of the web or fleece
from the doffing comb to the draw box; d, d, is the "conductor" formed
of a piece of sheet metal or other suitable material, the upper edge being
about the width of the doffing cylinder, and the sides or edges turned
over so as to narrow or reduce the width gradually and to form a kind
of flattened funnel as seen at Fig. 1. This "conductor" is placed in an
inclined position (as seen at Fig. 2), its upper edge being but a short
distance from the doffing comb and its lower part serving as a funnel or
trumpet to conduct the fleece or sliver to the drawing rollers c, c.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, we wish it to be understood that we claim
as our Invention,―
Firstly. Placing the draw box considerably below the centro of the
doffing cylinder in carding engines employed for the above purposes.
And, secondly. Providing such carding engines with an inclined
"conductor to carry the fleece from the doffing comb to the drawing.

page_text: rollers, substantially in the manner and for the purposes hercin-before
particularly set forth, described, and exhibited in the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Hardman, on behalf of
myself and George Hardman, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
GEORGE DAVIES, C.E.,
Office for Patents,
4, St. Ann's Square,
Manchester.
RICHARD HARDMAN. (L.S.)